Dawning Era of Awakening Light in Looming Darkness
by Kei Taiho
Summary: When Wolf's heart had been stolen, Yuuri realized his true feelings. After Soushu's defeat, he sets out to make Wolf his; yet circumstances politics and coming into his full powers forces Yuuri to see that it'll be harder than forseen. FullSuminside Y/W
1. Prologue

**FULL ****SUMMARY: **

During the Final Battle against Soushu and Shinou's corrupted self where Wolfram's heart had been stolen, Yuuri finally realized his true feelings for the blond.

After Soushu's defeat, Yuuri sets out to prove his worth to Wolfram and to make the gorgeous blond completely and utterly his; however, when Yuuri finally accepted his Maou self and merged with his other side, becoming far more powerful than ever, marriage proposals from around the world came pouring forward to plague the young, handsome king.

With the pressure of fully mastering his ever-growing maryoku, fending off many potential suitors from Wolfram, handling diplomatic politics, politely refusing the marriage proposals in ways that would not provoke instant war, dealing with certain circumstances raging between Shin Makoku and Dai Shimaron, and facing the stirrings of total, world war…It seemed as if Fate Herself was completely set against Yuuri and Wolfram getting together.

But Yuuri was the Maou and in Shin Makoku, .what he says goes; and he says that he will make Wolfram his…no matter the consequences.

**MAIN PAIRING**: Yuuri x Wolfram

**DISCLAIMER: ** I do not own Kyou Kara Maou! However, I do so claim the rights to the originality of this plot.

**WARNING**: There is a reason that this fanfic is rated M. Let it be known that, though it won't be until later on in the story, there will be slash scenes. If this makes you uncomfortable, know that I will be sure to post a warning before these particular scenes so that if you wish, you may simply skip over the explicit (and yummy for yaoi fans) parts.

_Now then, let the story begin…_

**Prologue**:

_A hand trailed down a pale chest.__ The lithe body underneath arched up into the seductive touch with a pleasure-filled gasp._

"_Do you like that?" asked a deep, husky voice._

_Emerald eyes, glazed with lust, blinked at him from beneath thick lashes. "Yes," he moaned. "Please…"_

_A dark brow quirked up at the soft plea as another hand caressed the slim waist. "Please what?"_

_Panting heavily, he moaned again, his pale arms reaching up to yank a dark-haired head down to him. "Please," he whispered against his lips, "I want you, Yuuri…"_

_The hand on his chest trailed up to cup a porcelain cheek. "As you wish, Wolfram…"_

Yuuri woke up with a startled gasp. He laid there on his bed for a while, panting for breath as he willed his arousal down. The sheets around him stuck to his sweaty skin and he shivered as the cloth caressed his sensitive body when he moved to get up.

Heaving himself up into a sitting position, Yuuri dropped his head into his hands and tried to bring his breathing back into control. Ever since his realization of his true feelings that he held for Wolfram during the Final Battle with Soushu, the dreams have become a regular occurrence every night.

He admitted that, although he definitely did not feel anything for Wolfram but friendship when he first met the blond, when he got to know the emerald-eyed beauty, he found himself falling for him—despite his admirable attempts to deny the fact. His denials worked up until he saw Soushu in Shinou's body yank out Wolfram's heart. When that had happened, Yuuri had felt as if his heart had been pulled right out of him along with Wolfram's.

At that time, when he gazed down on Wolfram lying cold and unresponsive in the clearing outside of the Shinou Temple, he had felt nothing; completely numb with shock. '_N-no one was supposed to get hurt, much less die!_' he had thought blankly, wide eyes unable to tear themselves away from Wolfram's still body. '_No one was supposed to die! Especially not Wolfram!_'

The sudden rage that swept through him not a second later had left him breathless and he had barely restrained his powers from erupting and wiping out everything in the clearing as Cheri wailed in grief. Through the haze of fury gathering in burning flames in him, the clarity of the fact that he loved Wolfram broke through all the walls he had erected in denial of his feelings, obliterating them into dust. His heart had lurched painfully at the dawning acceptance and he had stared down at the still form of Wolfram lying on the grass before him. '_He's gone,_'he had thought, fisting his hands and digging his blunt nails painfully into his palms. '_He's gone and now, I will never get the chance to tell him how I feel. I was too late. What kind of Maou am I if I couldn't even protect my own fiancé?_' He had turned his head slightly to glare over his shoulder in the direction of the Shinou Temple and had vowed to take revenge. '_**They will pay.**__**Soushu and Shinou will **__**pay**__._'

No one could have imagined his overwhelming relief when moments later, Anissia shone a beam of light on them all and informed them that Wolfram was, in fact, still alive. He had sworn then, as he had knelt by Wolfram who had been resting in the incubator in Anissia's laboratory, that he would get Wolfram's heart back at all costs—including risking his own life. He had sworn too that if—no, _once_ he succeeded and Wolfram woke up again, he would do everything in his power to convince the blond the truth of his feelings that he held for him and make Wolfram completely and officially his.

He slipped out from underneath his bedsheets and, sliding his feet into his slippers, stood. Abruptly, something stirred within him and there was a blaze of power. He gave a quiet gasp and bent over, his arms going around his stomach as heat flared inside him. Not a second later, the feeling faded away, leaving Yuuri blinking blankly at the wood flooring of his room. Straightening slowly, the raven-haired boy frowned in bemusement as he made his way to the bathroom. He had been getting these sudden bursts of power flaring in him for the last couple of weeks and he had no clue as to why that it might be. He had asked Murata about it but the other boy had merely shrugged in response and said that it would do him no harm. Yuuri had a feeling that he was holding back information as usual but he trusted him, so he did not pester for more.

Placing his toothbrush back into its customary spot, he ran a hand through his black locks. With a light frown, he tugged at a tress and looked at his reflection in the mirror. "Is it just me or is my hair getting a bit longer than before."

Silence met his inquiry. Shrugging nonchalantly, he changed into his black uniform and made his way downstairs and into the dining room.

"Morning, Mom," he greeted the brown-haired woman clattering around in the kitchen.

Jennifer looked up from the frying pan and shook the spatula in her hand at her youngest son. "Mou, it's 'Mama', Yu-chan."

Yuuri refrained from rolling his eyes in affectionate exasperation and sat down. "Yes, yes,' he acquiesced with a good-natured sigh. He shifted his eyes and smiled at his father. "Good morning, Dad."

The older Mazoku lowered the newspapers in his hands and grinned at him. "Mornin', Yu-chan."

Digging into the pancakes laid out before him, Yuuri blinked at the empty seat across from him. "Eh? Where's Shori?"

"It's 'brother', Yu-chan," insisted a voice from the doorway. Shori swept into the room and sat down.

This time, Yuuri did not resist the urge to roll his eyes. "Oh, be quiet," he retorted; however, he could not help but smile. This daily routine every morning of every single day was comforting. He glanced out the window and saw that the weather outside was fair and the sky was clear of clouds.

Wolfing down the rest of his breakfast, the youngest Shibuya dumped his empty plate into the sink and called over his shoulder as he stepped into his sneakers, "I'm going!"

His mother's head poked out from around the corner. "Alright, Yu-chan! Be careful! Don't forget to come home for lunch! I cooked curry!"

"Yes, Mom."

"Mou, it's 'Mama', Yu-chan."

Yuuri merely waved a hand in response and slipped out the door. Grabbing his bike from the shed, he rode down the road. He reached an intersection and steered his bike down another road until he saw a familiar sight.

Yuuri stopped his bike and looked up. "Hey, Murata!"

Up on the top of the stairs, the said boy turned around and raised a hand in greeting, "Hey, Shibuya!"

"Want to go for a walk in the park?"

"Sure."

Moments later, sitting on a bench in front of a spouting fountain, the two boys watched some children chase each other around the park courtyard.

"C'mon, over here!" cried one child. Another little girl giggled and followed behind her friend with a joyful smile.

Yuuri allowed a small smile to curl his lips as he lowered his can of juice from his mouth. It was small scenes like this that reminded him of his little Greta. His smile faded away as he thought back to the events during the final battle with Soushu. He raised his head and turned to face Murata drinking his own can of juice beside him. "Hey," he said slowly, "what would you have done if I'd given up?

"If that had happened," Murata did not glance his way as he lowered his can, "then the world would have been destroyed."

Shock ran its course through Yuuri and his eyes widened. The raven-haired boy stood and blinked blankly at the other. "You mean…"

Murata still did not look at his friend. "That was the last chance." He paused and a hint of a smile pulled at the corners of his lips. Then, he shifted to face Yuuri and a grin spread across his features. "But," he added, "you did well."

"Well…" Yuuri blinked once then he shrugged slightly with a somewhat nervous smile. "All's well that ends well."

Murata grinned back at him. "That's right," he agreed.

Chugging back the rest of the juice, Yuuri drew his arm back and with a carefully aimed shot, threw the empty can into the trashcan. He pumped a fist in the air and crowed, "Score! And the crowd goes wild!"

Murata chuckled. "Still in love with baseball, aren't you?"

The raven-haired Maou slung his book bag over his shoulder and tossed a look over his shoulder at his friend. "Yup," he replied and started walking away from the bench. "Come on, let's take a walk around."

"Sure." Tossing his own empty can into the garbage can, Murata followed after his friend. In companionable silence, the two friends strolled through the park and it was not long before a pond came into view. Yuuri tucked a hand into his pocket as they drew closer to the small body of water.

"We've gone to Shin Makoku from here before too," he said in a reminiscing tone. He slowly knelt down on one knee by the shore. "I wonder how everyone's doing." Withdrawing the hand tucked in his pocket, Yuuri opened his palm to gaze at the glimmering blue stone necklace resting in his grasp. His eyes traced the familiar lines of the sleeping dragon within the deep, sapphire depths and couldn't but help think that the shimmering colour reminded him of Wolfram's blue uniform. He felt a tug of pain in his heart when he thought of the blond. To be honest, out of all the people in Shin Makoku, Wolfram was the one he truly missed. Yuuri was pulled from his lingering thoughts on the blond when the stone began glowing brighter. There was the same slight flare of power that he had been experiencing the past few days in him as it responded to the pulse of power the stone was emitting. His black eyes widened slightly in surprise. He stood up. "Hey…Murata…" he said slowly, not seeing the tiny smirk on his friend's face with his back facing him.

Murata said nothing. His glasses glinting in the sun hid his smirking eyes from sight as he raised a hand and with a nudge, pushed the boy in front of him forward.

With a shocked shout, Yuuri had no time to react and tipped forward. As he fell into the pond, he threw a wide-eyed glance over his shoulder to see the shadowed features of Murata just before he slammed into the water with a resounding splash.

Murata snickered and jumped in after Yuuri. '_Now this,_' he thought, '_is going be fun._'

Back in Shin Makoku, Gisela looked up from commanding some soldiers; Dorcas jerked his head up from feeding the Maou's stallion; Cheri glanced up at the sky on her cruise ship; Anissia blinked at the poof of chemical smoke in her lab; the three maids and Greta paused in their baking of a cake in the kitchen; Gunter, Conrad, Ulrike, Wolfram, and Gwendal's eyes went ridiculously wide as they stared at the fountain in the middle of the Shinou Temple's main courtyard.

He would have found the expressions on their faces humorous if Yuuri was not in a state of shock himself as he stared incredulously back at them, completely unaware of the fact that he was utterly soaked. Finally mustering enough of his scattered mind together to form sentences, he stammered, "M-Murata…What's going on here?"

"When you defeated Soushu," came the smug reply from behind him, "you gained powers that surpass Shinou's. With that much maryoku, you can cross between the worlds on your own."

Still frozen in disbelief, Yuuri managed to choke out, 'If you knew that, then why didn't you tell me?"

"Well…" Murata began sheepishly. He raised his head and chuckled a bit awkwardly. "When I pushed you into the pond, I was still thinking: 'Maybe this might work', so I wasn't really sure…"

Somewhere else in Shin Makoku, Yozak felt the tell-tale tug in him that he always felt whenever the Maou was near. He looked from his gazing of a grand tree in the direction of the Shinou Temple and smiled. It seemed that His Majesty Yuuri was back.

Finally having gotten over his initial shock of seeing his sovereign come splashing out of the fountain when they had all thought they would never see him again, Gwendal's usually harsh eyes softened and the lines on his face smoothed out a bit. "Well, at any rate," he said with a rare smile, "this settles the problem of finding a successor."

The one sentence unglued Gunter from his frozen stance and the silver-haired lord went dreamy eyed. "Oh, Your Majesty! I can't believe we are able to see each other again!"

Yuuri, however, paid no heed to him. Instead, his attention was riveted on a certain blond stalking towards him. A flush burned on Wolfram's cheeks as his emerald eyes glared down at the raven-haired Maou.

At the intent stare from the beautiful boy in front of him, an answering blush threatened to colour Yuuri's features but he managed to control it. His mind unconsciously flashed back to the arousing dream he had just had that morning when the very same blush dusted across Wolfram's porcelain cheeks as he was sprawled out beneath him on silken sheets…Yuuri forcefully yanked his thoughts from continuing down that particular path before the interested stirring movements in his pants became prominent to everyone else. He watched somewhat nervously as the object of his wet dreams slowly came to a kneeling position before him.

For a few moments of tense silence, Wolfram did nothing but stare at the boy. Then, as if there were some invisible signal, his hands lashed out and fisted into Yuuri's collar. "You wimp!" he snarled, eyes alight with fire and with a barely visible sheen of unshed tears. "Where were you and what were you doing all this time when you could've come back?!"

Snapped out of his daze of seeing the toothsome blond again, and resisting the sudden urge to lick the single tear that had managed to leak out to trail down Wolfram's cheek, Yuuri yelped, "Like I said, I didn't know!" He sputtered as he received a face-full of water. "What was I supposed to do?!" he continued and gave another yelp when Wolfram jerked at his collar again. "And you should be asking Murata! Murata! Not me!"

Conrad grinned. "Welcome back, Your Majesty," the captain said, "to your country.

Yuuri looked up from his struggle with Wolfram, his hands still struggling to hold the blond's arms still. He blinked once and, as a warm feeling began blooming in him, he grinned in return. "Yeah," he agreed happily. "Everyone, I'm back!"

Wolfram growled. "You wimp! I'm going to make you pay!"

"For what? What did I do? Like I said earlier, I didn't know!"

Wolfram said nothing in reply. Instead, he scowled at Yuuri, another tear making its way down his cheek unchecked. Receiving another face-full of water, Yuuri wiped the water from his eyes and finally caved in to his urges. He reached out, and before he lost his courage, pulled the blond towards him. Wrapping his arms around him, the raven-haired boy inwardly marveled at the lithe waist of the blond and tightly enfolded Wolfram in a hug. There was another flare of power in him at the action and he swore that he heard it purr in contentment before it was gone as fast as it had made its presence known.

Yuuri did not see Ulrike shoot an astonished glance at the Great Sage who gave a barely discernable nod in her direction. An eyebrow rose in surprise on the priestess' face as a small smile tugged on one edge of her lips. '_Well now,_' she thought amusedly, '_this should be interesting._' She noticed that the three men in front of her, Gwendel, Conrad, and Gunter had also noticed the same thing she did, and had also seen the tiny nod Murata gave in confirmation. '_Yes,_' she added before returning her attention back to the two boys embracing in the fountain. '_Very interesting indeed._'

Far beyond surprised, Wolfram froze. Red surfaced on his face again and he could feel himself blushing brightly. "Yu-Yuuri?"

The raven-haired boy sighed and buried his face into the crook of the blond's neck. "I've missed you too, Wolfram."

Wolfram blinked, stupefied. Was—was Yuuri really embracing him? His flush darkened. And was he—he n-nuzzling him too?! Afraid that he was dreaming again, the blond slowly raised his arms and gently wrapped them around Yuuri. Relaxing into him, Wolfram tightened his hold on the raven-haired Maou and gave in, burying his face into the other's shoulder. "Damn it, you wimp," he whispered. "I'm glad you're back."

The arms around him squeezed him lightly. "Me too, Wolfram," came the soft reply. "Me too."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the prologue! See you in the next chapter!

Please review!


	2. Chapter 1

**MAIN PAIRING**: Yuuri x Wolfram

**DISCLAIMER: ** I do not own Kyou Kara Maou! However, I do so claim the rights to the originality of this plot.

**WARNING: **No explicit slash scenes in this chapter, though there's going to be fluffy moments between our two favourite boys.

_Let the romance begin!_

**Chapter One****:**

Letting out another yelp, Yuuri ducked as low as possible as fireballs flared past him above his head. His onyx eyes glanced at Wolfram a few paces away.

"That's enough, Wolfram!" he insisted and dodged another fireball. "Why are you doing this?"

"To see if you truly are worth being the Maou," replied the blonde. "If not, I will defeat you and take your place! Now stop dodging and fight!"

The raven-haired boy gritted his teeth at the response and rolled away from another blast of fire. Eyes narrowing, he flung an irate glare at Wolfram's uncle standing to the side with Murata and his retainers. '_This is ridiculous_,' thought Yuuri. '_I know that Wolfram doesn't think that I'm unworthy of my title; he's only doing this in order to provoke me into using my maryoku so that he can show his uncle that I'm not weak and unable to control my powers._' He tightened a hand into a fist. '_I'm not going to let it continue like this. Absolutely _no one_ has the right to manipulate Wolfram or I for their own satisfaction._'

With the decision made in his mind, Yuuri stood his ground, allowing his maryoku to leak out his body, enough to make him physically glow in soft, dancing flames of blue. Calmly, he raised a hand and made a slashing movement down, instantly destroying the fire lion charging towards him into billowing, hissing steam. "Stop it," he said softly, keeping his dark gaze on Wolfram.

The emerald-eyed young lord crouched lightly into position. "Make me. Come on, attack me!"

Yuuri lowered his arm and began walking towards the other slowly. "No, I can't do that," he said, shaking his head while still holding the blonde's gaze.

"And why not?" challenged Wolfram.

"It's quite simple." He smiled gently at him. "I don't want to hurt you, Wolfram."

At his words, Yuuri could see the instant flush spreading across the blonde's features, though he could tell that Wolfram was trying to suppress it.

Wolfram willed down the urge to blush for all he was worth at the softly spoken words Yuuri had uttered and steeled his resolve. This was for Yuuri's own good. He took a step back from the young king slowly approaching him. He was going to do everything in his power to make everyone see, especially his uncle, that the raven-haired boy was the only one suited for the title of Maou and no one else.

"Prepare yourself, Yuuri!" The blonde raised a palm into the air before him and incanted a spell. Immediately, three large, flaming lions leapt from his hand and charged at Yuuri with deafening roars.

Three water dragons rose from around Yuuri and lunged forward, wrapping themselves around the fire lions and enveloping them in a thick, film of water. With a slow blink of an eye, the young king evaporated the lions and continued his unhurried walk towards Wolfram. The water dragons slinked ahead of him and the blonde closed his eyes, bracing himself for impact. A moment later, forest green eyes snapped open in shock when two wet noses nudged against his right cheek and neck as something warm slithered lightly onto his shoulders with a content hiss.

"See? Even my maryoku does not want to harm you." Yuuri came to a halt before the blonde and a smile tugged his lips. He raised a hand and gently cupped the other's left cheek. "Please don't let others manipulate you, and through you, me, Wolfram," he said quietly. "You're much better than that."

"I-I…" Wolfram trailed off, unconsciously leaning into the touch. He dropped his eyes to the ground, looking away from the unusually piercing, black eyes. "I just wanted to help you," he added with a quiet murmur, only loud enough for Yuuri to hear. "I'm sorry."

"I know," came the simple reply. Yuuri felt a small smirk pull at the edges of his lips. Feeling decidedly playful, he continued, "And I'll forgive you for shooting fire at me if you give me a hug."

Wolfram's head snapped up to glance wide-eyed at the raven-haired boy. "What?" he managed to squeak.

"You're sorry for what you did, aren't you?"

The blonde slowly nodded.

"If so, give me a hug and I'll forgive you."

"But…" Wolfram cut himself off when the raven-haired boy raised an eyebrow as he slightly opened his arms in invitation. Unable to deny the fact that he wanted to hug the other, Wolfram obeyed and stepped into his embrace, clutching at the taller boy. "I really am sorry, Yuuri," he whispered against a satin black-clad shoulder.

Yozak's eyes went wide as he stared at the scene playing out before him. "Hey, Conrad, am I really seeing this?"

Conrad's lips twitched, his brown eyes twinkling. "Yes, you are."

Yozak's mouth dropped open to match the hanging jaw Gunter was sporting beside him, utterly stricken speechless as Murata snickered quietly into his hand.

Wolfram's uncle watched with astonished eyes as the young king enfolded his nephew into his arms, cuddling the blonde closer to him.

He saw the young king smile down at the golden hair splayed on his shoulder and heard his soft reply, "You're forgiven."

The man blinked in surprise at the emotions radiating from the embracing pair. '_They really do feel for each other,_' he mentally breathed. Valtrana sighed. He guessed that he would have to accept the raven-haired boy as the Maou after all; besides, the obvious control he displayed when he wielded his power and when he dealt with his nephew went a long way to soothe his fear that the young man would not be a good king—much less Wolfram's fiancé as well.

Wolfram allowed himself to relax marginally into the warm hug. Yuuri had been acting more and more affectionate with him ever since his welcomed return to Shin Makoku. He did not know why Yuuri was acting like this with him all of a sudden when before, the other had adamantly denied that they were engaged but the emerald-eyed beauty did not question it; instead, he allowed himself to relish the tender attention he was receiving from the raven-haired king.

After a while, Yuuri gave a soft squeeze and pulled back. Wolfram smiled up at him in response and sheathed his sword back into its scabbard as he turned to face his uncle from his spot beside Yuuri.

Yuuri looked intently at Lord von Voltaire. "Are you satisfied now?"

Valtrana held his silence.

"Why can't you accept and support Yuuri as the Maou as I do, uncle?" Wolfram spoke up. "There is no one else who is as fit for the title as he is!"

"Once more, let us officially settle this," called out a familiar, deep voice. All pairs of eyes shifted to see six high lords standing behind Gwendel. "We will once more hold a council of the ten royal families right here."

Valtrana started. "What?"

"With the return of His Majesty Yuuri, our previous vote of finding a successor is invalidated henceforth," stated Gwendel. "In which case, we will now bring up a new topic of discussion: the acknowledgement of King Yuuri's reign as our 27th Maou. Is there anyone who objects?"

Accepting silence met his inquiry. Gwendel cast a look over to Valtrana. "Lord von Voltaire, how about you?"

The man clenched his teeth but gave a sigh a moment later. "I too," he conceded, "have no objections."

"Lord von Voltaire."

Valtrana moved his head and met a pair of onyx orbs. He held back a shiver as those twin pools of inky shadows bore into him, as if scanning him. Then, Yuuri tilted his head in his direction. "Thank you."

As he turned to leave, the young king paused and shot a piercing glance over his shoulder. "Much as I welcome your decision to support me, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from manipulating Wolfram on your whims." Yuuri slipped an arm around the lithe waist of a surprised Wolfram and continued, "By trying to control Wolfram, you are attempting to manipulate me by default. Let it be known to you now, Lord von Voltaire, regardless of your position, I will not tolerate any more endeavors to manipulate us. I hope you are clear on that." He gave a small nod. "Good day."

Turning his head around to face forward once more, he led his small group away, his arm still settled around a lightly blushing—but uncomplaining—Wolfram.

000o000

Yuuri gave a slow blink when he opened the doors to his study and was greeted with the sight of looming piles of parchment stacked in countless piles on his desk. He stared at them in horror, his feet taking root into the stone floor.

"No way…" he breathed in disbelief, and then gave a low groan. "I'm going to be so busy for the next couple of days." With a reluctant sigh, he rolled up his sleeves and determinedly made his way over to the bureau.

Gwendel waved a hand at the parchments as his king seated himself and took a sheet from the top of one stack closest to him. "During your absence, I have gone through these documents and have already dealt with the less important ones. All of these here require the personal perusal of the Maou and either your official stamp of acceptance or refusal."

"I see." Yuuri looked up from the parchment in his hands to glance at him. "Gwendel, I truly appreciate the time you've invested in going through all these documents; however," the young king's shoulders straightened, "I would rather that you leave this particular task to me from now on."

The blue-eyed man stared blankly at him for a few long moments, his jaw unconsciously falling open in astonishment. Beside him, Conrad's eyebrow was lifted in surprise though he did not voice his own opinions on the matter. Wolfram, on the contrary, had no qualms in expressing his shocked thoughts.

"What are you talking about, Yuuri?" asked the emerald-eyed young lord. "You _abhor_ paperwork!"

Yuuri flashed a quick smile at the blonde before he fixed his eyes back on Gwendal. "You already have so much to deal with, Gwendal, and while I am thankful for your help, I think it's high time for me to start bearing my own, rightful responsibilities that I should have taken on long ago." He paused in thought for a moment then continued, "What Lord von Voltaire had said is true. I need to start taking responsibility of my kingly duties. Therefore, I would also like for you to start including me in political gatherings." He ran a hand through his black hair with a sheepish grin. "I've been taking some diplomatic lessons from Shori—"

He was interrupted when Wolfram blurted out, "So that's how you so eloquently told my uncle off earlier this afternoon! I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one surprised by your reaction."

Gwendel, Conrad, and Yozak nodded in unison as Gunter heaved a dreamy sigh. "Oh…you were magnificent, Your Majesty!" he crooned.

Wolfram ignored the dazed-looking Gunter and asked, "But why did you start taking lessons from your brother?"

Yuuri raised an eyebrow and shot a slightly reprimanding look at the blonde. "I was getting to that part when someone decided to cut in," he scolded gently.

The emerald-eyed boy flushed a little. "Sorry," he muttered.

Yuuri grinned to indicate that he was forgiven and continued, "As I was saying before, I've been taking some diplomatic lessons from Shori after I blubbered like an awkward fool when Prince Charles came to visit him. I was horrified at my utter lack of diplomacy and I almost shattered the political relationship between Shori and Prince Charles with my idiocy.

"Let's just say that I have never seen Shori so angry with me before—actually, it was the first time I've seen him so enraged. That one experience also made me think back on my interactions with the officials here in Shin Makoku, and I realized just how many sticky situations you and Gunter had to solve to soothe insulted souls and to prevent unintentional wars.

"I've been so ignorant, and I admit that I still am. But I want to change that." Yuuri paused again and looked down at his hands, staring unseeingly at his upturned palms. "I know that I will be unable to fully shoulder everything so quickly, but with your guidance, I hope you will help me deal with my responsibilities bit by bit until I can stand firmly on my own two feet; especially now that I've decided to remain the Maou." He looked up then. "Would you be willing to guide me?"

Silenced reigned in the large study for several minutes. Then, Gwendel deliberately coughed into his fisted hand to close his opened jaw. The blue-eyed man raised his head and met the dark gaze of his ruler. He allowed a small smile to spread across his normally stern visage. "It would be my pleasure."

Yuuri smiled brightly back at him. He glanced at the others still standing stupefied in front of him. "Well then, if you all don't mind, I need to get started on these documents."

Getting the hint as the dismissal it was, his retainers smiled at him and bowed slightly, all of them turning to slowly make their way out of the study.

"Wolfram, wait for a minute please."

The blonde paused in his steps and swiveled on his heels to face Yuuri as the double doors to the study closed behind the others. The young king gestured at a seat in front of him. "Why don't you sit down? I have something I want to discuss with you."

A little unused to the formal tone the raven-haired boy was employing, Wolfram obeyed the request without another word. "What is it?"

"Uh, well," Yuuri stammered and brought up a hand to run it through his black locks. "Wolfram, y-you may have noticed that ever since I came back to Shin Makoku, I-I've been, well, um…"

Wolfram quirked an elegant brow lightly at the suddenly flushing king. With a small grin and a rising, answering blush on his own features, he decided to tease the other a bit. "I may have noticed what, Yuuri?"

"Well, um, you've probably noticed that I've been more, well…" Taking a fortifying, deep breath, Yuuri plunged forward, "that I'm a lot more affectionate with you?"

A light dusting of pink splashed across Wolfram's pale cheeks. "Yes."

Yuuri looked at him questioningly. "And haven't you wondered why?"

The blonde nodded slowly. "I have," he confirmed, then crossed his arms across his chest, a teasing glint appearing in twin emerald pools. "I've just been waiting for you to tell me why on your own."

"Oh." Yuuri looked down unseeingly at the parchment before him. He gritted his teeth. '_This is much harder than I thought,_' he pondered with a mental grimace. He glanced at Wolfram from underneath his lashes and steeled his resolve. '_But I swore to myself that I would do this when I almost lost him. And I'm going to keep my vow._'

"Do you remember when Soushu was still at large and he stole your heart?"

Wolfram started at the sudden turn of topic. He squashed down the pang of disappointment rising up in him at the change of subject and nodded. "Yeah," he replied softly, images of the final battle flashing by in his head. "I do. Very clearly."

"So do I." The raven-haired boy was still staring down at his desk. "When Shinou reached into your chest and took out your heart right in front of my helpless eyes, I felt as if my own had stopped right there and then. When you collapsed, lying on the stone floor still and unresponsive, my breath froze in my lungs." The king's fingers slowly curled into his palms until his hands formed tightly clenched fists. "When Conrad placed two fingers on your throat to check your pulse, my own pulse felt like it had disappeared. When Cheri wailed in grief over your cold body, I wailed with her inside my head then I felt a rage so strong sweep through me, I had to force myself to stay in control, else I wipe everything out in that clearing. And when Anissina told us all that you were not dead after all, that you only needed your heart back to open your eyes again, what I felt—what I swore then was that when you woke up again, I would tell you." Yuuri rose from his seat and moved around his desk to stand beside the blonde's chair. He tucked a finger under Wolfram's chin and raised his head so that his fathomless, obsidian eyes could look into bright, emerald orbs.

Wolfram felt his breath catch in his throat at the emotions he found swirling in those dark depths staring down at him. "What, Yuuri? Tell me what?" he whispered, darting his tongue out to lick at his suddenly dry lips.

Black eyes dropped down to glance at the pink tongue before Yuuri dragged his gaze back up. His other hand reached up to cup a soft cheek and he leaned down to nuzzle Wolfram's other cheek. Taking a small step closer, he moved his head until his lips were by the blonde's ear. "I swore to tell you that I love you, Wolfram," he breathed. "I realized, after finally disregarding my constant self-denial, that I always have loved you."

The blonde froze, his eyes going impossibly wide. He shivered again as Yuuri's hot breath caressed his sensitive ears. "_You what?_" he squeaked incredulously.

The young king pulled back a bit, keeping his hand on the other's cheek as his other hand gently tugged Wolfram up to his feet. "You don't have to say anything in return for now, Wolfram. I know it may be hard for you to accept what I just confessed so suddenly but I swear that it's the truth," he said. An arm snaked around Wolfram's waist and pulled him close until the blonde was tucked into the crook of his body. "And I swear that I will do everything in my power to prove it to you. I will persist until you accept that my feelings for you are genuine and hopefully, you will return my sentiments. I don't want just the title of being your fiancé, Wolfram; I want to _be_ your fiancé." Yuuri tightened his grip on the blonde. "Therefore, will you accept my offer to officially court you?"

Still feeling shell-shocked, Wolfram searched the dark gaze locked on him. "When did you start acting so mature, Yuuri? It's almost as if you're a completely different person," he whispered. '_Although I happen to like this side of Yuuri a lot too_,' the blonde added silently in his mind.

Yuuri gently brushed a lock of spun gold from Wolfram's face. "I decided to grow up," he replied softly in return. "Will you accept my offer, Wolfram?"

The emerald-eyed boy closed his eyes, leaning into the soft touch. A beautiful smile began to bloom on his face. He opened his eyes again and said softly, but firmly, "Yes."

An answering smile swept across Yuuri's handsome features. "That's great!" he exclaimed happily. His eyes dropped to Wolfram's lips and the blonde felt his heart skip a beat when the taller boy raised his eyes to look back up into his green gaze. "Hey, Wolfram," Yuuri breathed as he slowly began to lean down. "May I kiss you?"

"It's a bit sudden," Wolfram replied, beginning to feel light-headed with Yuuri's close proximity, "but yes, you may."

Yuuri unhurriedly bridged the last distance separating them and gently, ever so gently, brushed his lips against Wolfram's. The blonde released a tiny whimper and reached up, wrapping his arms around the king's neck and pulling him down again for another kiss. Yuuri's breath hitched at the quiet moan tumbling out of the other's throat and without further ado, he deepened the kiss, a hand sweeping through golden locks to cup the nape of Wolfram's neck. He tilted the gorgeous blonde's head back and nibbled on a full, lower lip. Wolfram parted his lips with a sigh at the unspoken request, drawing Yuuri's questing tongue into his mouth. A pale hand moved up to tangle into soft, raven hair and Wolfram absentmindedly noted that the tresses were silky smooth to the touch.

Mapping the moist cavern of the blonde's mouth, Yuuri rumbled softly deep in his throat as Wolfram's sweet flavour hit his senses. '_He tastes like melted chocolate,_' Yuuri thought dazedly and tugged Wolfram closer until he was completely pressed flushed up against him.

When the call for air could no longer be ignored, the king reluctantly slipped his tongue from Wolfram's welcoming mouth and gently parted their joined lips. Both were panting heavily by the time they drew apart and glazed emerald globes met equally dazed onyx orbs.

"Wow," softly breathed Wolfram after a few seconds of silence, broken only by their harsh breathing as he rested his head on Yuuri's chest.

Wrapping both arms securely around the stunning blonde, Yuuri pressed his cheek on top of Wolfram's. "Yes, it was," he agreed quietly, breathless as well.

Wolfram snuggled deeper into the taller boy's embrace and sighed contently. "I could easily get used to this."

"So could I."

After a long moment of comfortable silence, the blonde pulled back slightly and lightly pecked Yuuri's kiss-swollen lips, thrilling in the fact that he had done that to Yuuri and could do so again whenever he wanted now. "I better get going," he explained, brushing a strand of hair from the king's eyes. "I have some men I need to train and you need to get started on your documents. I'll see you soon, alright?"

Smiling tenderly down at the other in his arms, Yuuri nodded his agreement. "Alright." He released the blonde and watched him walk over to the double doors.

Wolfram paused with a hand on the handle and glanced back at the king still standing in the same spot looking back after him. "Thank you, Yuuri."

The raven-haired young man shook his head, his fathomless eyes dark with swirling emotions that the blonde could now identify as warm love—only for him. "No, thank _you_, Wolfram."

Wolfram smiled radiantly at him before closing the door quietly and gently behind him.

A/N: I had forgotten to mention in the prologue that Dawning Era of Awakening Light in Looming Darkness evidently takes place after the final battle with Soushu and that this story will lead off on a different path than the third season; however, I will be taking pinches from the third season here and there to keep this fanfiction connected to the original series.

I know that the relationship between Yuuri and Wolfram seems a little surreal with how fast it's picking up but for me, this makes the story much more interesting if the characters are aware of their feelings and are actually working to maintain their relationship instead of floundering their way until they kiss for the first time in the twentieth chapter (I really hate it when it takes really long for the characters to pull their heads out of their rear-ends and deal with the blatantly obvious raw, sexual tension between themselves). I hope you guys share the same opinion as I do!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! Hope to see you in the next chapter!

Please kindly review!


	3. Chapter 2

**MAIN PAIRING**: Yuuri x Wolfram

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Kyou Kara Maou! However, I do so claim the rights to the originality of this plot.

**WARNING: **No explicit slash scenes in this chapter, though there's going to be fluffy moments between our two favourite boys again. Also, there's going to be a bit of fighting and some utilization of unsavoury words.

_Let it begin!_

**Chapter Two****:**

Gwendel peered intently at the other man. "So the rumours are true, Hube?"

"Yes," answered the one-eyed man. "King Berard has been forcibly abdicated from the throne, and his nephew, Ranjeel the Second, will be taking his place."

"That's quite a sudden development," said Gunter thoughtfully.

Yozak turned his head to face Lord von Christ. "It was inevitable, don't you think? Berard made more than a few slip-ups."

"Even the territories under his control have been opposing him recently," continued Hube, "so it has been decided that Berard is no longer fit to rule."

"Well then, what kind of man is the new king?" asked Gwendel.

Raising his hands in the air in a shrug, Yozak replied, "There are a number of suspicious tales surrounding him."

"Such as?"

"Other people were nominated for the throne as well, but for unknown reasons, they have either fallen from power or run into near-fatal accidents."

Gunter narrowed his eyes. "And Ranjeel is responsible for this?"

"Word has it that he's using a secret organization to eliminate his competitors," answered Hube.

"What's even more surprising," added Yozak, "is that there is a connection between that organization and the thieves who're after valuable swords that we've been investigating."

"We need to know more information," Gwendal said.

Yozak nodded in agreement. "Then I'll be heading to Dai Shimaron at once to do just that."

"I'll come along," Conrad finally spoke up.

"Conrad."

The brown-haired captain merely turned determined eyes to face his older brother. After a while, Gwendel sighed. "Very well. But don't do anything rash."

Conrad smiled slightly. "Okay."

The doors to Gwendel's study opened and Murata stepped into the chamber. "About that…" he said with a smile. "Mind if I come along too?"

Yozak grinned. "Why not? The more the merrier!"

Murata grinned back at him.

Yozak turned back around to face Gwendel. "You know, Your Grace, shouldn't we inform His Majesty about this too?"

"No," replied the blue-eyed man. "He's already busy dealing with a set of very important documents that needs his immediate attention. Besides, His Majesty's eighteenth birthday is coming up next week and I don't want to burden him with news like these at such an inconvenient time. Let's just handle this ourselves for the moment."

Murata raised a hand to push his glasses up, the light from the setting sun catching his lenses and hiding his eyes from view. "Shibuya's not going to like it when he finds out that you've kept this a secret from him; especially since he specifically asked you to start including him on political affairs not three weeks ago."

"True," agreed Gwendel. "But His Majesty is not fully prepared to take on delicate situations like these where one tiny mistake can invoke an all-out war between Shin Makoku and Dai Shimaron. We'll let him know when things have calmed down a bit and are not so precarious."

"You're underestimating just how strong that young man has become," Murata murmured quietly. But the others did not hear, already deeply engaged in making preparations. Only Gunter caught the nearly-silent said phrase and he raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing, mentally storing away that particular little trinket of information for later perusal.

000o000

Wolfram was feeling rather happy in the afternoon as he leaned leisurely against a tree growing beside the training grounds as he watched his men mock-duel each other in pairs during one of their daily training sessions. It was particularly due to the wonderful present Yuuri had presented to him that morning. He smoothed the pad of a fingertip over the smooth obsidian pearl embraced tightly between the claws of a sleeping silver dragon which had blue-gilded scales with its head resting along one side of the pearl while the rest of its glimmering body curled around the blonde's wrist until its tail hooked into the other side of the black gem.

"I had this custom-made for you," the young king had told Wolfram in the privacy of their room when they woke up, both speaking quietly so that they would not disturb the still slumbering Greta. "Well, the dragon was commissioned but the obsidian jewel is formed purely with my magic." Yuuri had held out the bracelet and Wolfram had reached over to take the offered gift. "I imbedded many protection spells into the gem and it will instantly alert me if you're in danger or simply because you wish for my presence. Just concentrate on me and I will come."

Wolfram had gaped incredulously at the other. "Since when did you learn to use your maryoku?"

The raven-haired young man had smiled at the awed look on the blonde's face and replied, "I've been getting Ulrike to teach me and the training is slowly paying off. Now, here, take it."

Feeling honoured for receiving such an obviously powerful gift, Wolfram had slipped the bracelet onto his right wrist and had started when the dragon had pulsed once and had shrunk until it had fitted him perfectly.

"It also can't be taken off by anyone but yourself," the raven-haired young man had added.

"Thank you, Yuuri," Wolfram had breathed. He had then looked up. "But why are you giving this to me?"

Yuuri had reached over and had cupped the other's cheek, a thumb lightly running over the blonde's lower lip. "Because I want to," he had said softly. "I want to be able to protect you even if I'm not there. Besides, it makes me feel all giddy inside to know that you'll always be keeping something that is essentially a part of me with you."

He had been greeted with a stunning smile at that and Wolfram had wasted no time in showing his appreciation by kissing the young king until he had a dreamy, dazed look on his face.

Wolfram lightly touched his still tingling lips at the remembered kiss and smiled. He still could not believe that he could walk up to Yuuri and kiss or hug him whenever he wanted. That time the two of them shared their first kiss in Yuuri's study about three weeks ago had made him smiling almost goofily for the rest of that memorable day.

His mother had been more than pleased to hear the news that Yuuri had finally confessed to Wolfram and that he was now in the process of officially courting her youngest son. She still would not stop cooing whenever she saw the two of them together. His brothers had merely smirked knowingly at him while Murata grinned as if he knew it would have ended up like this all along. As for Gunter, the man had fainted dead away when he accidentally walked in on another kissing session between Yuuri and the blonde. After lamenting on how he had lost His Majesty to another man, Gunter had finally gathered himself together and had sincerely congratulated the couple with a joyful smile on his face.

The news that he and the king were together had spread like wild fire and in a matter of hours, the entirety of Shin Makoku knew the turn their relationship had taken was one of official courtship. It was a furiously blushing Yuuri who had waved in thanks to his cheering and encouraging people with an equally red, but smug looking Wolfram beside him.

The bracelet was the first gift in the courting ritual stating the suitor's honest intent to provide and give protection to their chosen. The first gift was to show the person being courted that the suitor would do everything in his power to protect their chosen and give the chosen a piece of themselves to demonstrate their purity of heart. And in this case, Yuuri had given him a gift that neatly and wonderfully combined all the rulings together. Wolfram would have to present a gift to Yuuri that matched the value of the young king's gift if he was to express his acceptance of the first step of the courting ritual and that he was willing to move on to the second step with the raven-haired young man.

The blonde smiled again. He already knew what he wanted to give to Yuuri. He just had to wait for it to be finished.

His attention was brought out of its reminiscing thoughts when one of his men—'_Larry's his name_,' thought Wolfram—made his way over to his captain and stopped in front of him.

Wolfram straightened from his position. "What is it, Larry?"

"I have something important to show to you, sir," replied the tall man as he saluted his commanding officer.

"Very well." The blonde pushed away from the tree. "Lead the way."

"Sir!" Larry saluted again and gestured to the left. "It's this way."

Wolfram and the soldier turned around the bend until the training grounds were no longer in view and into a vacant, small courtyard. Larry pointed to the stone wall almost blocked from view by thick shrubbery located to the far right. "It's right over there, sir."

Batting aside the foliage, the blonde commander pushed aside the branches to look questionably at the ordinary-looking wall. With his back turned to the soldier, he did not see the glint that appeared in Larry's lust-filled eyes as he eagerly stared at his commanding officer's backside.

"I don't see anything wrong here, Larry," said Wolfram, still staring quizzically at the stone wall. "Are you sure that there's—oomph!" The blonde let out a startled gasp as he was yanked around and unceremoniously slammed up hard against the wall.

Glaring angrily at his subordinate, Wolfram scowled, "What do you think you're doing, soldier! Unhand me this instant!"

"I'd rather not," Larry replied huskily, his hands pinning his commander's arms in such a fashion that the blonde could not even move to free himself. The soldier leaned forward and nestled his nose into the sweet-smelling hair of the blonde. "I think I can get used to this. Do you know how much of a tease you are? Strutting around and swinging your hips so seductively with each step…I just want to eat you up!"

Wolfram snarled and jerked his head away. "Let me go or you'll regret it!" he hissed in rage, helpless fury roaring through him followed by fear. '_Yuuri!_' he mentally cried out. '_Where are you?! Please, help me!_'

"I don't think so." The solider lowered his head, inching his lips closer towards Wolfram's. "I like you just the way you are; helpless and completely at my mercy."

A large hand flashed in between Wolfram and Larry's faces before the soldier could make lip-contact, slamming into the soldier's nose and forcing him to stumble back with a pained cry.

Wolfram felt himself sag back against the stone wall in sharp relief as a familiar tall body clad in black silk situated itself between him and the cursing Larry.

"And just do who you think you're touching, soldier?!"

The man clutched at his bleeding nose which was most likely broken if the amount of blood spilling out of his cupped hands was any indication. "YOU!" he exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here?!"

"That should be my question," Yuuri rumbled dangerously. "Just whose fiancé do you think you had the audacity to threaten?!"

"Shut up!" sneered Larry. He ran forward with wildly swinging fists.

The raven-haired young man ducked smoothly under the crazed swings and surged forward, his clenched fist punching up into the soldier's gut with incredible force.

Larry was slammed back several feet onto his side with his breath knocked harshly out of him. Coughing for air, he scrambled to his feet and ignored the fiery pain emanating from his stomach. He ripped his sword out of its sheath and charged forward with a cry, a mad glint flaring in his eyes. "Die, you fucking bastard!"

The king did not move as the sound of sliding metal hissed from behind him, allowing a blur of blue and yellow to rush past him.

Wolfram blocked the soldier's strike with his own sword, his eyes hard and flickering with emerald fire. "Watch your tongue! Not only did you insult your king with your vulgar profanities, you now dare strike at him, you traitor!"

Larry snarled, spittle flying from his mouth that was pulled back in a bared sneer. "Shut the fuck up, you slut!" he cursed the blonde and swung his sword, forcing Wolfram to parry the thrust and then to take a small leap back to maintain his balance.

Cerulean light flared, bathing the small courtyard in blazing tendrils of blue. The Maou waved a hand, throwing Larry back away from Wolfram with ease before the soldier could attempt to attack the blonde again. The glowing king stalked forward, the dragons swirling around him roaring their anger in answer to their master's simmering rage.

Larry struggled futilely against the twin dragons pinning him in place against the wide trunk of a tree with their jaws. His wide eyes were horrified as he watched the Maou glide towards him, the young king's onyx eyes were slit and swirling with dark fury.

"_**You have no right,**_" hissed the Maou, his hand reaching up to lock around the soldier's throat, "_**absolutely no right in uttering such derogatory words to Wolfram, you filthy ingrate!**_"

A wisp of power snaked from the young king and slammed into Larry's forehead, leaving a bleeding scar in the shape of a broken circle: the symbol of treachery and shame.

The Maou tightened his firm grip on the throat in his grasp and growled deeply in his chest. "_**For your vile attempts on my fiancé and raising arms against both your sovereign and aforementioned fiancé without any justifiable cause, you are henceforth exiled from my kingdom and the lands of Shin Makoku will never welcome you to take part in its life again,**_" snarled the glowing king. "_**As decreed by the Maou of Shin Makoku, so shall it be carried out.**_" Releasing his strangle hold on the soldier, the Maou stepped back, his maryoku receding back into his body as Larry collapsed harshly on the ground without the support the water dragons had provided when they had him tied up.

"_**The scar marked on your forehead will speak of your treachery and dishonour forever!**_" the young king hissed at the traitor. "_**Now go and leave my kingdom! Should I see you once more, I will not be so lenient as to let you live again!**_"

Whimpering in fear as he scrambled to his feet, Larry was roughly led away by several guards who had been alerted of the situation by the influx of the Maou's raging power earlier.

Gunter came into view when he skidded around a corner and hurried over to his king and Wolfram. "Your Majesty! What happened? I sensed the flare of your maryoku and rushed here as fast as I could!"

Yuuri's eyes narrowed as they landed on the soldier being forcefully dragged away. "A cretin took it into his mind to manhandle Wolfram and when questioned about his behaviour, the soldier even had the nerve to badmouth Wolfram in turn."

"And he clearly marked himself a traitor when the impudent boy attacked Yuuri!" Wolfram added with a scowl. "You can see his mark of treason and shame on his forehead. Yuuri's maryoku judged that it was a just punishment and he has also banished the prat from Shin Makoku."

Yuuri nodded his head briskly. "Gunter, if you don't mind, please make sure that the traitor be taken out of Shin Makoku and inform others of his new change in status. Also, please notify the soldier's family the events that transpired for him to earn such an exile; if they wish to leave with him, they are free to do so. Please don't forget to reassure them that they will _not _be labelled as traitors if they do—not unless they had a hand in this incident. However, I do not want to see the soldier's face ever again in my kingdom."

"That soldier attacked the both of you? Well, I never…" sputtered Lord von Christ. He gathered himself together and bowed his head to his young king. "I salute your efficient deal of hand you imposed on the traitor. I will take my leave now to ensure that your commands be carried out without any undue incident."

The raven-haired young man smiled tightly at Gunter. "Thank you, Gunter. That would be appreciated."

"Well then, Your Majesty, Wolfram." Gunter dipped his head once again and strolled away, gesturing the men holding Larry captive to follow him.

The glow of his maryoku faded away completely and Yuuri immediately made his way over to Wolfram. His hand reached out, his fingers threading into silky golden hair. "Wolfram? Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

The blonde shook his head mutely in answer. The raven-haired young man frowned in concern. "Then why won't you look at me?"

The other did not reply.

"Wolfram, love, please, look at me."

At that, the gold-crowned head lifted and wide, shimmering emerald orbs met his concerned gaze. Without a word, Yuuri opened his arms and Wolfram fell into them with a choked sigh. Yuuri curled his arms around the slender blonde and held him close, cradling him to his chest.

"You came when I called," whispered Wolfram.

The arms around him tightened. "Always will," was the soft, firm reply.

Wolfram snuggled in deeper, the warmth radiating from the strong body luring him into relaxing the tension running through the lines of his body. Absentmindedly, he noted that it seemed like Yuuri's shoulders were a little broader than normal but he quickly dismissed it from his thoughts when a gentle kiss was pressed on top of his head.

"Thank you," the blonde said.

"There is no need for thanks," responded Yuuri. "You don't need to thank me for protecting you. I will do so again without hesitation." He pulled back but kept an arm around Wolfram's waist. He nudged him until the blonde looked up and he swooped down for a claiming kiss.

"Only I can touch and kiss your lips," Yuuri purred against Wolfram's lips. "They are mine and mine only."

Shivering slightly at the possessive, dark tone running in undercurrents beneath the low purr, Wolfram released a soft moan and leaned deeper into the taller boy's hold. "Yes, they are," he agreed before tilting his head up and drawing Yuuri down for another drawn-out kiss until the both of them were left panting for breath. He nipped lightly on the young king's lips and drew back a bit. "Just as yours are mine."

Yuuri smiled warmly. "Indeed they are," he replied. Then, he scanned the blonde with concerned eyes. "Now, are you certain that you're not hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine."

"You absolutely sure?"

Wolfram crossed his arms and pouted. "Yes, I'm sure!" He gave a quiet squeak of surprise when Yuuri swooped down again and nibbled at his puckered, lower lip. Worrying the soft flesh in between his teeth, the raven-haired young man pulled back with a last quick, playful lick of his tongue on the other's lips.

"Don't do that—that expression, I mean," he said breathlessly. "Not unless you want me to ravish your lips."

Wolfram blushed but he could not stop the smirk from appearing on his features. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

The young king groaned in good-natured exasperation at the blonde's teasing tone, his black eyes sparkling with mirth. "Come on." He started to lead Wolfram away from the small courtyard. "There's something I want to share with your men about this particular incident."

He paused and cast a glance at the emerald-eyed young man.

"You don't mind, do you?" Yuuri asked as an afterthought. "I won't be undermining your authority in some way if I do this, will I?"

Wolfram grinned a decidedly wicked smirk. "Not at all. Especially not if I add in threats of my own to fortify yours."

A matching smirk spread across Yuuri's expression and he gave a low chuckle. "Well then, shall we go and scare the pants off your men?"

Wolfram scrunched his nose. "Thanks for the disgusting images, Yuuri."

"It's an expression, Wolfram."

"I know but still…ugh, I really didn't need those pictures in my head."

Yuuri's amused laugh echoed pleasantly in the air at the response.

The pair turned around the corner and into the vicinity of the training grounds. The moment the duelling soldiers saw their commanding officer make his way towards them with a grim expression beside their blank-faced king, they stopped in their movements and immediately bowed their heads in respect.

"Listen up, men!" barked out the emerald-eyed commander. "There are a few words that His Majesty Yuuri would like to share with you."

With expectant expressions on their features, the soldiers shifted their attention to the raven-haired young man.

"Not mere moments ago, I came upon a scene that infuriated me beyond belief," spoke Yuuri. "You may have noticed the sudden flare of power earlier and that would be due to my reaction in accordance to this particular event." Dark eyes narrowed until they were dangerous slits of veiled, seething fury. "Should I ever see or hear about anyone making moves on my fiancé again, know that the culprit will be dealt with dire consequences by yours truly personally," he hissed lowly, his features set in cold, harsh lines. "And rest assured, I will _not _be forgiving. Being exiled will seem like child-play after I'm done."

Wolfram resisted the urge to flush at the possessive words being uttered, a warm, bright heat spreading out from his chest with each beat of his heart. Schooling his features that wanted to break into a wide, giddy grin into an icy mask instead, the blonde took a step forward, drawing the frightened gazes of his men. "Let me add that the next person who even _thinks_ or _looks_ at me the wrong way again, not only will Yuuri make you wish you had never been born, I will personally castrate you myself before he deals with you, do I make myself clear?" he snapped, his own green eyes blazing with restrained anger.

Sufficiently cowed by the dark threats from their king and their commanding officer, the soldiers ducked their pallid faces and fervently chorused their understanding.

"Excellent." Yuuri's normal, bright smile came back onto his features and he waved lightly at them. "Now then, don't let me keep you from your training!"

The soldiers had to hide the sudden onslaught of shivers racing up their spines and raising the hairs on the back of their necks at the quick and sudden change in their king's mood. Gulping uneasily, they nervously glanced amongst each other and were speedy in obeying the raven-haired young man's subtle order.

Yuuri shifted to face the blonde. "You're going to stay here for a while longer, right?"

Wolfram shook his head. "No, I'm done for today," he replied. "I usually leave around this time and they continue on for about half an hour or so before they leave too."

The raven-haired young man grinned and slipped an arm around Wolfram. He brushed a light kiss on the blonde's pale cheek and led them both back inside the castle by his hold on his waist. "Then let's head inside. Dinner's going to start soon."

"Sure," agreed Wolfram amenably. "I'm starving."

When the pair entered the dining hall, they were greeted with a happy cry.

"Yuuri! Wolfram!"

Chuckling, Yuuri knelt on one knee and scooped up Greta into his arms. "Hello, my little princess," he greeted her.

"Hello, Yuuri!" His adopted daughter snuggled into his chest for a moment then reached out her arms towards Wolfram, who had been watching the scene with a soft smile on his face. "Wolfram, I want a hug too!"

The blonde grinned and swept the small girl into his arms from Yuuri's offered hold. "Good evening, Greta. Are you hungry?"

Greta smiled up at her other adopted father and wrapped her arms around Wolfram's neck. "Mhm," she nodded into the blonde's shoulder. "But we were waiting for you and Yuuri before we started eating."

"That's very kind of you, Greta."

The small girl wiggled out of Wolfram's arms. She slipped a hand into the blonde's and grabbed one of Yuuri's hands with her other. Tugging the two of them towards the table already ladled with food, she said, "Come on, Daddy, Father, I really am hungry and now that both of you're here, I want to eat!"

"Alright, Greta, we're moving," chuckled Wolfram. He pulled back her chair as Yuuri helped their adopted daughter into the seat. The blonde flashed a smile at his fiancé when the raven-haired young man pulled out his chair for him, tilting his head back slightly to receive a brush of a kiss on his lips.

Yuuri grinned back at Wolfram before making his way to his own chair and sitting down. He nodded in thanks as his soup was placed in front of him and frowned when his gaze caught sight of two empty seats.

"Where are Conrad and Murata? Are they not joining us?"

"Conrad left with His Eminence to go on a tour of the country," responded Gunter.

"Without even a notice?' asked Wolfram. "Where to?"

"I bear a message from His Eminence." Lord von Christ rummaged a hand in his robes and withdrew an envelope from within the folds. "Here you are, Your Majesty."

Yuuri blanched at the heart sticker on the back of the envelope. He broke open the seal and perused the contents inside.

_Dear Shibuya,_

_I will be out on a journey for a while. A lot of areas around here bring back memories, so I plan to walk around and visit them._

_Lord Weller says that he's knowledgeable on the geography, so I'm borrowing him as both my guide and my escort._

_Signed, your only pal,_

_Murata_

_P.S. Good luck finishing the rest of your documents. I don't know when exactly I will be back but I have a feeling that it will be soon once you're done with the looming, parchment tower of doom by the window that I saw you eyeing sceptically last night after dinner. Don't worry though; I will be sure to be back in time to attend your birthday celebrations. (Hope Lord von Christ does not get too carried away with the preparations…)_

_P.P.S Oh yeah, would you mind telling Ulrike that I won't be coming to see her for a while, please? Thanks! Later, Shibyua!_

Yuuri inwardly narrowed his eyes on the last parts of the letter, instantly picking out the subtle, hidden messages behind the innocent words. He made a mental note to get started immediately on the pile of documents by the window that he had indeed been eyeing with dread last night. And judging from the innocent request added at the end, Murata wanted him to make a visit to Shinou Temple too.

'_This 'journey' is not what it seems and apparently, Gwendal and Gunter knows exactly what it really is,_' thought the raven-haired young man. '_But they're not telling me. I wonder why?_' He glanced at the surreptitious glimpses both Gwendal and Gunter were throwing his way and pasted a smile on his face, catching sight of Wolfram's suspicious narrowing of his emerald eyes from the corner of his black eyes. Yuuri fought the urge to smile at the blonde's subtle reaction. Wolfram really did know him well if he could distinguish Yuuri's genuine smile to that of a false one. Everyone else, surprisingly including Shori and Conrad as well, still had difficulty differentiating what his authentic expressions were compared to his faked ones.

The young king refolded the letter and tucked it into his pocket. "I see. So Murata's just taking a touring trip with Conrad. He says that he doesn't know when he's coming back though."

Gwendel and Gunter nodded in unison in response. The raven-haired young man noted with a mental smirk at the slight lessening of tension from the two men at his nonchalant words. Yuuri darted a quick glance to the side and gave a minute shake of a head in Wolfram's direction. He caught the tiny relaxation of the blonde's shoulders a second later. Wolfram had gotten his message that Yuuri would explain it to him later on in private. The young king smiled and dipped a spoon into his soup.

Halfway through dinner, Yuuri suddenly shoved his chair away from the table and doubled over with a gasp. Clutching at his stomach, he vaguely noticed gentle hands supporting him as he swayed precariously on the edge of his seat.

"_Yuuri! Yuuri!_"

"_Your Majesty!_"

"_Someone get Gisela!_"

The worried voices of the blonde and of the others in the dining hall were like far-away sounds in the distance as his heart thundered loudly in rhythmic beats in his ears. He let out a sharp cry when an abrupt wave of heat surged through him, the feeling much more intense than the other times, and by the time it faded away, he was left gasping for breath.

Not a millisecond later, there was another onslaught of power raging through what felt like every cell contained in his body, setting aflame his nerves and making his slip from his seat. Then, just as quickly as it had come, the overwhelming heat and waves of pain washed away from his body, leaving the young king blinking dazedly up at the worried face of Wolfram.

"Yuuri? Are you alright?" Wolfram brushed aside some stray hair strands of black silk away from Yuuri's face. "What's wrong?"

Yuuri turned his head into the soft touch. "I don't know," he admitted weakly. "This has happened from time to time for the past couple of weeks but it was always in the morning right after I wake up and it was never this intense. I don't know what has changed."

"Your Excellency, if I may?"

The blonde looked up and nodded, leaning his upper torso a bit ways from Yuuri so that he was not obstructing Gisela's view of the young king.

Gunter's daughter did a swift scan of the raven-haired young man before she leaned back to rest her weight on the balls of her feet. "His Majesty appears to be in perfect health. I don't detect anything harmful in him. Also, His Holiness had informed me before he left that if something like this happened to His Majesty, we did not need to worry. He said it was something that His Majesty will need to get used to for a while. He didn't elaborate on why, just said that it's 'no big deal'."

Wolfram scowled. "And why can't he just tell us why this is happening to Yuuri? It's obvious he knows what's going on!"

"Maa, Wolfram," Yuuri chortled softly, still slightly winded and turned his face so that his cheek was pressed against the warmth of the blonde's stomach, making the emerald-eyed young man blush lightly at the affectionate move. "You know how Murata is. He tends to only give information up _after_ the event takes place. It's quite an irritating tendency of his."

The blonde sniffed elegantly and threaded his fingers into the black locks of the young man lying with his head in his lap. "I couldn't agree more."

"Yuuri, are you really okay?"

The raven-haired young man smiled reassuringly up at his adopted daughter. "Yes, Greta. See?" He moved to sit up with a bit of aid from the blonde. "I'm feeling perfectly fine already! I'm sort of used to this anyways so it's no big deal."

Greta blinked anxiously up the young king. "You absolutely sure?"

Wolfram suddenly coughed lightly into his fist, his lips threatening to break out into a grin when Yuuri flushed at the innocent question, obviously recalling how he had asked the blonde the very same question himself earlier on, and the cause of the light blush dusting the young king's cheeks now would be due to the fact that he was remembering the considerably possessive kiss he had claimed from Wolfram right after that particular question.

Shooting a slightly irritated glare at Wolfram, who merely smirked knowingly back at him, Yuuri knelt down in front of the small girl and drew her into a comforting hug. "Yes, I'm absolutely sure. Now come on, let's finish up our desserts, shall we?"

Two hours and half later found Yuuri and Wolfram alone in the young king's study. Greta had been put to bed and the others had wandered off after dinner to occupy themselves with their own duties.

Wolfram crossed his arms across his chest. "Alright, what was that about during dinner?"

Knowing that the blonde was referring to Murata's letter, Yuuri dug it out of his pocket and handed it over to the other young man. While the blonde read through its contents a couple of times to decipher to hidden meanings behind the words, the raven-haired young man rifled through the stack of parchments by the large window. Dark, obsidian eyes fell on a particular sheet of paper and he gently pulled it out from below the others.

Scanning through the document quickly, his eyes grew shadowed and his shoulders tensed. Wolfram glanced up as he sensed the sudden shift in mood in the study's atmosphere and instantly made his way over to the king, placing a slender hand on a silk-clad arm. "Yuuri? What is it?"

"It's a report on Dai Shimaron," replied Yuuri, indicating at the parchment in his hands. "It states that King Berard was abdicated and his nephew, Ranjeel the Second, has taken the throne in his place."

The blonde furrowed his eyebrows lightly in bemusement. "What does that have to do with your sudden change in mood? Sure, Dai Shimaron is a nation that opposes us, but that's nothing new."

"I know that. But what bothers me is the added statement here saying that there's suspicion that the sword thieves, the ones I've been getting numerous reports on, are somehow tied to this new king, even though there's no solid proof." Yuuri narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, a calculating gleam entering his dark gaze. "I won't tolerate having people from Dai Shimaron coming to Shin Makoku only to steal from my people. It seems that I will need to handle this problem personally. And," he added, "I bet that Murata, Conrad, and Yozak are on their way to Dai Shimaron to check this out too."

Wolfram blinked slowly, and then he shook his head with a rueful grin. "Alright, you pretty much concluded the same things that I have. So, what are we going to do about it?"

"First, we'll get ready for bed. Second, we'll attend that congress tomorrow morning and deal with the delegates. Third, we're going to visit Shinou Temple and make some preparations. After that…"

The blonde quirked an elegant eyebrow. "'After that'?" he prompted.

A decidedly wicked smirk surfaced on Yuuri's features, sending anticipating shivers down Wolfram's spine. "After that, we're going on a little, undercover mission."

A/N: And that's it for now! Woah, that was a probably the longest chapter that I've ever written on …Meh, well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! As for the part where a reviewer told me that the title of "Lord von Voltaire" is actually for Gwendal, would someone tell me then what is Valtrana's lordly title so I can fix my mistake, please? That'll be much appreciated!

Thank you very much for your reviews! They really encouraged me! I hope that you will review this chapter too! Thx in advance if you do!

À bientôt, mes amis!


	4. Chapter 3

**MAIN PAIRING**: Yuuri x Wolfram

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Kyou Kara Maou! However, I do so claim the rights to the originality of this plot.

**WARNING: **No _very _explicit slash scenes in this chapter except a bit in the beginning. There's going to be quite a numerous amount of fluffy moments between our two favourite boys as usual.

_Let's go!_

**Chapter Three****:**

_Arching his back in pleasure, Wolfram released a cry. "Uuh! Yes!"_

_Yuuri panted heavily as he leaned over the slender back of the blonde and bit into a pale shoulder. "Oh god__, Wolfram…you feel so good…" he moaned, pounding deeper into Wolfram, his mouth suckling at a sensitive earlobe._

_The emerald-eyed beauty rocked back into the young king, his eyes wide and glazed with lust. His hand reached around to tangle into Yuuri's locks as he tipped his head to the side, allowing it to loll on the other young man's shoulder in time with each thrust. Yuuri wasted no time in taking the invitation offered and lowered his head, his lips leaving trails of fire as they traced the sweet-smelling pale lines of the blonde's throat._

_"So hot! I can feel you inside me, so hard! God, yes, right there!"_

_The sounds of the bed creaking and of wet flesh slapping against flesh filled the steamy chamber, pleasured cries accompanying the rhythmic noises in an ever-rising crescendo._

_Feeling that they were reaching the end of their limit, Yuuri snaked a hand around Wolfram who was moving heavily in his lap to get a hold of the other's hard arousal. "G-god, Wolfram, I'm so close! I love you! God, I love you!"_

Yuuri shot up in bed with wide eyes and gasping for breath.

Wolfram stirred beside him and blearily blinked his emerald eyes open. "Yuuri?" he asked sleepily, his voice sounding husky, sending shivers through the young king. "What's wrong?"

Averting his gaze from the blonde, knowing that if he looked at the sleep-dazed face of the other he would lose all semblance of what little control he had left and ravage his bed-partner, Yuuri swung his legs over his side of the bed and made sure that his lower regions were facing away from Wolfram.

"Nothing," he replied, unaware that his voice had deepened into a low rumble. "Just a dream, that's all. I'm sorry if I woke you."

Wolfram sat up and stared quizzically at the raven-haired young man's presented back. He pushed the sheets off of him and as he crawled his way over to the king across the bed, he vaguely noted that Greta was nowhere in sight. '_Probably with Anissia and Mother having breakfast already,_' he thought and laid a hand on Yuuri's shoulder. He frowned lightly when he tensed under his touch and brushed a tress of hair from the other's sweaty neck. "It's not 'nothing' if you're edgy like this and you didn't look at me when you answered."

Yuuri shook his head. "It was just a dream, Wolfram. Really, it's nothing worth getting worried about."

Wolfram quirked an eyebrow and pursed his lips. He reached his arms around Yuuri's neck and clasped the young man's cheeks in between his hands. Turning the other's head around gently, he quoted, "'If it's nothing worth getting worried about', then look at me when you say that, Yuuri."

Yuuri sighed lightly. His shoulders dropped a bit and knowing that the blonde would not give up until he turned to look at him, he obeyed and allowed the soft hands to gently guide his head so that he would be looking at Wolfram. He raised an eyebrow of his own in bemusement when Wolfram gasped, his green eyes widening when he got a full glimpse of his face.

"What?"

"Your eyes, they've changed," came the breathed response.

"What?" Yuuri repeated, and completely forgetting his current state of arousal, he stood up and scrambled for the full-length mirror standing a few feet away from the bed.

The raven-haired young man stared into the silvery reflection and nodded faintly to himself. His eyes were no longer round and wide. Instead, the corners had narrowed and curved up into elegant sweeps, the irises were of a darker black, giving the colour midnight black its true, literal sense, and his pupils were slit. There was a slight combination with his original eyes to the Maou's eyes staring back at him from his reflection, though it was evident that the latter clearly dominated the first. Indeed, his eyes have changed.

Staring a bit longer at his reflected face, Yuuri decided that he rather liked the changes his eyes had undergone and a slow smirk spread across his features as an idea made its presence known in his mind. He had always been taken lightly by others, especially with the nobles and diplomats, because of his innocent and naïve-looking appearance. Yuuri had began learning how to conduct himself with the mannerisms of an adult but his wide, child-like eyes continued to pose an obstacle in his search to present himself as a maturing individual.

'_This should aid me with the stubborn lots I'm going to have to deal with at the congress later on this morning,_' he thought, his smirk growing larger as his mind began plotting with a mental cackle of glee. '_Oh this is going to be fun!_'

Wolfram was thinking along the same exact train of thought as he appreciatively traced the difference of Yuuri's eyes. Although he liked the large, round eyes Yuuri had before they changed, he could honestly admit that he liked the new ones too—a lot. His gaze dropped almost lazily down the king's torso and before he could stop himself, a gasp escaped from between his parted lips as a raging blush raced across his cheeks.

Yuuri whirled around at the startled sound from the blonde and his eyes followed the place the wide, emerald eyes were staring at, only to yelp loudly in shock. Hastily, he dove forward and wrapped a sheet around his lower waist, efficiently covering the erection tenting his pyjama pants.

He cleared his throat embarrassedly, his obsidian eyes darting everywhere but in Wolfram's direction. "Right, sorry about that," he murmured nervously. "Um, I'm going to get washed up."

"Just what exactly was your dream about, Yuuri?"

The young king stumbled to a halt in his trek towards the bathroom, the low purr from Wolfram immediately sending heat racing down south. Inwardly cursing his teenage hormones, he stiffly responded, "Nothing much. Just a normal dream."

"Really?" Wolfram drawled and stood. "A normal dream would leave you in your current state once you woke up? Wow, must've been one 'normal' dream, wouldn't you say, Yuuri?"

The raven-haired young man gritted his teeth but did not rise to take the bait.

The blonde sauntered forward, a smug smirk stretching across his face as he caught sight of the flush rising on the young king's neck. "Yuuri?"

"Oh alright, so it wasn't a normal dream, happy?" Yuuri relented with a snap. He slanted a narrowed look over his shoulder at Wolfram and a teasing leer tugged at his lips. "I had a rather…_stimulating_ dream about you, Wolfram. Is that what you wanted to hear, love?"

Wolfram's breath hitched in his throat at the intent look in those beautiful, onyx orbs of fathomless depths swirling with desire. "I-I…" The blonde cleared his throat with a small cough as he felt a rising arousal course through his veins in answer to the deep, dark stare. "Yes, you could say that."

The young king dragged his intense gaze up the blonde's lean body, obviously checking the other out with a curling smirk twisting up the corners of his mouth as his eyes landed on a prominent bulge wedged in between Wolfram's slender, long legs.

"I can see that you have quite a problem there, Wolfram," Yuuri drawled seductively.

The blonde instantly blushed a bright red but managed a comeback. "So do you," he retorted quickly, refusing to stand down from the raven-haired young man's challenging look.

Yuuri raised a black eyebrow. "Would you like some help dealing with it?"

Sputtering at the blatant invitation, Wolfram blushed for all he was worth. "I-I, well, that is to say, um…"

"Let me know when you make up your mind," Yuuri tossed over his shoulder as he stepped into the bathroom, closing the door with an amused laugh.

Wolfram stared for a few moments before he huffed and stomped towards the wardrobe to take out his uniform; his cheeks still a bright pink. Slipping out of his nightgown and into his blue uniform, he shifted his head a little to glance behind him. Emerald eyes narrowed at the closed door.

'_If it's a game of seduction he wants,_' Wolfram thought, a scheming smirk blooming on his features, '_then it's a seduction he'll get._'

000o000

Gwendal cast a puzzled glance towards his king who sat silently in his high-backed chair beside his amused-looking, youngest brother; Yuuri's eyes were shadowed by his bangs as the diplomats continued arguing amongst themselves.

Gunter leaned slightly towards him. "What's His Majesty doing? Shouldn't he interfere before things get out of hand?"

"I don't know. Let's just wait a bit longer and see," replied the blue-eyed man in a low whisper. The two lords returned their attention back on the debates being thrown back and forth across the room.

"Dai Shimaron is not stupid enough to actually declare an all-out war with us," argued a diplomat.

"And how would you know that?" shot back another dignitary. "For all we know, the new king could very well be as 'stupid' as you mentioned."

"I say that we strike now while their government is still adjusting to their new sovereign," voiced another lord. "It's best to strike when the enemy is weak!"

"You just want to see bloodshed," a representative sitting across the meeting room retorted. "You warlords just can't get enough violence, can you?"

"At least we're not snivelling cowards hiding behind their mothers' voluminous skirts," snapped back the same lord with an irate scowl.

"How dare you!" The diplomat shot up from his seat with angry growl. "I demand that you retract your insulting words and apologize, you insolent bastard!"

"I am no bastard!" roared the warlord, rising from his chair with a thunderous expression. "I refuse to apologize to a blubbing brat!"

"I think you better put a stop to this before it gets out of hand," Gunter hissed urgently to Gwendal who nodded curtly in response while shooting a veiled, annoyed glare at his young king for doing nothing.

'_I guess he's not ready to deal with political affairs ye after all,_' thought Gwendal, allowing himself to feel a little disappointed before casting his disappointment aside and steeling his determination. '_Ah well, guess it's time to step in again and dissolve this before it breaks out into a fight._'

Just as the blue-eyed man made to stand, a smooth, low voice pierced through the air.

"I find it interesting that all of you are acting remarkably like errant children throwing tantrums. I had the impression that we are here to attend a congress like respectful individuals, not to get into a child's brawl. To put it mildly, I'm quite disappointed with all of your conducts."

"I—," spluttered a representative indignantly. He stood and pointed an accusing finger at the young king. "You are just a youngster—what do you know? How dare you treat us with such impertinence?!"

Wolfram visibly stiffened in his seat beside the raven-haired young man but Yuuri shook his head in a minuscule movement. The blonde strangled his urge to sneer at the dissatisfied, muttering dignitaries and settled back into his chair with a schooled scowl.

"Indeed, I may be 'just a youngster' in your eyes, my lord," drawled Yuuri in a bored tone. His head slowly lifted as the shadows began dancing on his hidden features at the unhurried movement. "However, the question is not how dare I, but how dare _you_ address me in such a disrespectful manner?" Then, Yuuri fully raised his head. Midnight black, slanted, slit eyes of mysterious swirling power pierced through the shifting shadows, freezing the other occupants in the chamber in their places at the intense glare.

"Might I clearly remind you on exactly who you are all speaking to?" the young king purred darkly.

Silence reigned in the chamber, everyone held immobile by Yuuri's dark glare.

"Much better," the raven-haired young man droned into the stillness. "Now then, shall we try again?" He turned his head and nodded at a shocked Gunter who was sitting in his chair as frozen as the others. "Lord von Christ, if you will."

Startled out of his shock when he was addressed, Gunter rose to his feet and cleared his dry throat. "We are gathered here this morning to discuss the topic of what course of actions we should take in regards to this new king, Ranjeel the Second, and the ever rising tension between Shin Makoku and her allies with Dai Shimaron."

His narrowed eyes still pinning the other men in place, Yuuri spoke up smoothly, "Thank you, Lord von Christ. Now, in relation to this particular subject, I have a few suggestions that I would like to propose. With the rise of the new king, Ranjeel the Second, I say that we do not yet have sufficient amount of information to fully come to a well-thought out decision. Regardless of the fact that Dai Shimaron remains a powerful country that continues to actively oppose Shin Makoku, it would be folly on our part if we are to take action without precise details outlining the base of our plans."

As Yuuri continued on speaking, Gunter leaned closer towards the blue-eyed man sitting almost slack-jawed in astonishment beside him. "I'm completely baffled and very surprised with how His Majesty's taking control of the congress," he whispered, his own purple eyes as wide as Gwendal's as he continued to watch the proceedings play out before them. "He's addressing every idea that the diplomats have voiced and showing the flaws of each one in such a way that's neither discriminating nor criticising but merely in an observing, neutral—and also _very_ sophisticated—manner. At the same time, he's interjecting his own propositions that the dignitaries are gobbling up like hapless puppies. In short, I'm amazed."

"Indeed," replied Gwendal softly. "His Majesty, it seems, really has matured." '_And maybe I am wrong after all and what His Eminence said was the truth,_' he added mentally to himself. '_His Majesty does seem to be ready in fully handling political affairs…_'

"But his eyes," Gunter continued in a murmur as he eyed the changes the king's black orbs had undergone. "Why are they in such a state like that?"

"I don't know," Gwendal admitted quietly. "Might it have something to do with his flaring emotions? Maybe they'll revert back to normal once he's calmed down…"

"Now then, are there any objections with these propositions?" asked Yuuri, dark, onyx orbs drifting almost languidly from one diplomat to another.

The allied representatives glanced amongst themselves then shook their heads in unison.

"No, Your Majesty," murmured a dignitary in a deferential tone, the very same one that had questioned Yuuri's 'youngster' presence in the congress room. "Your proposals have exceptional merit and we do not have any opposition with them."

The young king smiled, though his eyes remained sharp. "Excellent. Well now, shall we call this meeting to a close for today?"

Taking the polite dismissal as it was, the diplomats stood as one and they each sincerely bowed respectfully to the raven-haired young man before departing.

Yuuri waited until the last representative had left to chamber and the double doors had closed behind them before allowing himself to slump back into his chair. "God that was intense," he muttered.

Wolfram said nothing. Instead, he stood from his seat and knelt by Yuuri's chair. The raven-haired young man glanced bemusedly at the blonde. "Wolfram? What—?"

His words dried up when the other leaned down and captured his lips in a breathtaking kiss. Opening his mouth at the demanding swipe of Wolfram's tongue on his lower lip, he went glazed-eyed when their tongues met each other in a playful battle of dominance that neither won—nor truly cared who could have won. With a last nip on the wet muscle, Wolfram withdrew and rested his forehead against Yuuri's as the both of them panted for breath.

"Do you know how hot you are when you take control like that?" he whispered huskily, his hot breath ghosting over the king's swollen lips.

Yuuri closed his eyes and nuzzled his nose against the blonde's soft cheek. He chuckled and pressed a fleeting kiss on the corner of Wolfram's lips. "I do now," he hoarsely replied.

In response, Wolfram hummed smugly.

The sound of a throat being cleared broke through the moment and the boys looked up, both remembering belatedly that there were two other people in the room.

The two young men flushed pink at the raised eyebrows directed their way as they stood and straightened their clothes. Yuuri laughed nervously while Wolfram grinned sheepishly.

"Heh, sorry, got a little carried away."

Gwendal raised an eyebrow while Wolfram snickered. "Quite. Shall we head to the dining hall for lunch, Your Majesty?"

"Sure." Yuuri hopped off of his chair and offered a hand to the blonde. "Wolfram?"

The emerald-eyed young man placed his hand in the offered hand with a smile. "Why not? I'm hungry."

A moment later, the small group had moved out of the chamber and were headed towards the dining hall down a large corridor, turning around a corner past the portraits of past Maous.

"You handled that quite well, Your Majesty," Gunter spoke up in compliment as Gwendal nodded his head curtly in agreement beside him. "The congress ended without a hitch."

"Yes, I'm quite surprised as to how quickly our allies' representatives unanimously agreed to my suggestion that, while keeping a cautious eye on Dai Shimaron's activities, we'll remain unified and come to the other's aid should they engage in hostility," Yuuri said with a grin. "The rest, of course, will depend on how the other side decides to make their move."

Wolfram snorted elegantly at the innocent expression the young king was donning, not once fooled by the false image. "That's only because you pretty much intimidated them into agreeing with you. I've never seen them so cowed yet utterly awe-struck at the same time."

Yuuri shot a mock, hurt look at the blonde. "Why, Wolfram, I didn't know you thought so low of me! I'm hurt! Really, I am!"

Smiling at the dramatics of the raven-haired young man, Wolfram could not help himself and leaned up to give the taller boy a kiss on the cheek. "You did well, Yuuri. I'm proud of you."

The young king coloured lightly and beamed brilliantly back at the blonde, his hand reaching out to lace their fingers together as their small group continued their way through the cloister of a large courtyard.

"Thank you," he murmured, almost shyly. He received a light squeeze from the blonde in response.

"He's right," spoke up a deep voice. Gwendal dipped his head towards his king in respectful acknowledgement. "That had been handled extraordinarily and I am far beyond amazed at your diplomatic skills. You have come a long way during this past month, Your Majesty."

Yuuri nodded his head with a smile. "Thank you, Gwendal. Mayhap this will ease your reservations about including me in further, more delicate political affairs, wouldn't you say?"

The young king caught sight of the man's eyes narrowing the slightest and hid a smug smirk.

"I agree, Your Majesty," Gwendal said. He shot a hidden, sharp look towards the raven-haired young man but Yuuri only looked back at him with a bright smile. There was no hint of underlying meaning in his voice for the blue-eyed man to find something wrong, and so Gwendal had to accept that the words were uttered in innocence. There could be no way that Yuuri knew about the fact that they had kept information about Conrad, Murata, and Yozak going to Dai Shimaron…could he?

Easily following the train of thoughts flitting quickly through Gwendal's eyes, Yuuri allowed a tiny smile to shadow the edges of his lips. He caught Wolfram's amused gaze and gave him a swift wink when the others were not looking. The blonde's lips twitched but he managed to school his features before it gave him away. Chortling inwardly, Yuuri opened the double doors and entered the dining hall.

As the small group settled into their respective seats around the table, Gunter inquired, "Your Majesty, your eyes, I can't help but notice that they're different. What happened?"

Yuuri blinked then shrugged almost in a nonchalant manner. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I woke up this morning like this. In fact, if Wolfram hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have noticed the difference."

"That's a sudden change in development," remarked Anissina. "I should experiment on this. Your Majesty, would you be willing to—"

"I agree," Gwendal interrupted, drowning out Anissina who threw an annoyed glower at him for his efforts. "I wonder what the cause is," he added, shooting a quick look in Lord von Christ's direction.

The silver-haired man nodded in return, the same suspicion on Gwendal's features creeping into his mind. '_I wonder if His Majesty's slow merging with his Maou's self has anything to do with his upcoming birthday. After all, the eighteenth year for a mazoku is the year of adulthood; however, His Majesty's part-human so does the same principles apply to him…?_'

Cheri smiled and clapped her hands. "No matter, you look even more handsome, Your Majesty! Others are going to have a hard time keeping their hands off of you even more now to be sure!"

Wolfram scowled. "Mother! Don't say such things!"

"She's just playing around," Yuuri placated the blonde. He leaned over and added in a low whisper into his ear, "Besides, your hands are the only ones I want on me, Wolfram."

Greta looked up from her plate to see her adopted father turn red. "Yuuri, what did you say to Wolfram?" she asked innocently. "His cheeks are turning really pink!"

The small girl never really understood why the others laughed so loudly at her question. She huffed and stuffed the last forkful of vegetables into her mouth. Really, adults were so strange! She smiled brightly up at the maid when she took away her empty dinner plate and replaced it with a glass bowl of vanilla ice-cream topped with chocolate syrup and cherries, her dessert the same as everyone else's. The little girl took a large bite and grinned. "Yum!"

Yuuri shot a smile at his adopted daughter and taking a bite of his own dessert, he had to agree that it was very good. A movement from his peripheral vision caught his attention and he turned his head to glance at Wolfram to his left.

Immediately, he felt his groin tighten at the sight that greeted his view. The blonde was humming in delicious pleasure as he carefully placed a spoonful of ice-cream into his mouth. With a quiet moan of delight, his eyelids dropped halfway over his emerald orbs. Wolfram withdrew the spoon from between his plump, red lips and a pink tongue darted out to leisurely lick the silver utensil clean. Looking completely oblivious to the fact that Yuuri's attention was riveted on him, Wolfram lowered the spoon onto the table beside the glass bowl of ice-cream. Yuuri watched as the emerald-eyed youth seemed to be pondering the cherry covered confection in front of him before he reached out to pick the cherry up by its stem and slowly brought the small fruit to his parted lips. Savouring cherry with evident relish, Wolfram closed his red lips over the fruit and lightly sucked at the juice.

Yuuri almost choked at the sight and flushed in awakening arousal as he continued to watch Wolfram practically make love to his dessert with his sinful mouth, his little moans and purrs of enjoyment drilling hot heat into his body, setting his veins alight on fire as blood surged down to his growing erection.

Wolfram looked up with a surprised expression on his face when the young king suddenly pushed back from the table and stood up from his seat. A light dusting of red painted his cheeks and the blonde noticed that his obsidian eyes remained trained away from his direction. "Yuuri? Is something the matter?"

The raven-haired young man shook his head, still refusing to glance at Wolfram. "No. I just remembered that there's something I need to take care of. You guys enjoy your desserts."

"You sure, Yuuri?" Wolfram asked, hiding the urge to chuckle at the darkening of colour on Yuuri's cheeks at the sound of his voice. "Would you like some help?"

The way he had placed some emphasis on the last phrase must have given him away because the young king shot a narrowed, suspicious look at him, hearing the echo of a similar question Yuuri had asked earlier that morning in the blonde's second enquiry. Wolfram merely smiled innocently back in response.

"But, Daddy," Greta said. She pointed a finger at Yuuri's glass bowl. "You haven't finished your ice-cream, and you love this dessert!"

Yuuri smiled, though it was a little tight around the edges. "I'm not really in the mood to eat it right now."

Wolfram could not resist the opening the taller youth presented and spoke up in an almost nonchalant way, "Then what _are _you in the mood for, Yuuri?"

Yuuri threw a thinly veiled glower at the blonde. "Nothing," he bit out, his ears becoming as red as his blushing cheeks. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I'll take my leave. Can you come to my study after your training session with your men this afternoon, Wolfram?"

The emerald-eyed youth nodded in confirmation. "Alright."

The young king nodded curtly. Then, he turned and stalked out and if his strides seemed a bit stiff, no one commented.

Gwendal quirked an eyebrow at his youngest brother but the blonde only smiled blandly back at him. Wolfram picked up his spoon again and dipped it into his melting dessert, ignoring the knowing looks his mother and Anissina were throwing his way.

Tantalizing Yuuri and seeing the other react in such a delicious manner to his actions...it was hot. He shifted imperceptibly in his seat to assuage the pressure his arousal was posing against his pants—no pun intended. A smug smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. He had no doubt that Yuuri had figured out what he was doing and that the raven-haired youth would be retaliating with a vengeance and he looked forward to see what the king would do. A shiver worked its way pleasantly up his spine. Oh yes, did he look forward to it. He swallowed another spoonful of chocolate syrup and smirked again.

'_Let the games begin._'

000o000

Yuuri closed the chamber doors behind him with a soft thud. He stiffly made his way to the bathroom and closed the door behind him, locking it before slumping back against the wooden surface. He closed his eyes and breathed out heavily, images of Wolfram and the scene with the ice-cream dessert flashing in vivid detail behind his closed eyelids. The young king sucked air in between his teeth with a hiss.

He knew that when he had teased the blonde earlier that morning, there would be repercussions; but he had no idea that it would hit him so fast and hard—literally. His attention narrowed down and focused on the raging hard-on he was currently supporting.

His eyes snapped open. "I need a cold shower—now," he choked out. He stumbled forward and fumbled out of his clothes as he turned on the cold water to full blast.

Gasping and shivering as the icy water battered relentlessly against his heated body, dark onyx eyes narrowed and hands fisted.

'_If it's a game of seduction he wants,_' Yuuri mentally purred heatedly, his thoughts unknowingly an echo of Wolfram's, '_then it's a seduction he'll get._'

'_Let the games begin._'

A/N: Oooo, that was a bit intense. Wow, quite a lot of sexual tension between our two favourite boys, don't you think? –snickers–

Thank you for the info on Valtrana's appropriate title! Also I really appreciate all of your reviews! They keep me motivated! Thank you very much!

Next up, a visit with Shinou and then an undercover mission to Dai Shimaron! Not to mention Wolfram's acceptance gift to Yuuri's first courting ritual gift and Yuuri's eighteenth birthday celebrations after that!

Please review!


	5. Chapter 4

**MAIN PAIRING**: Yuuri x Wolfram

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Kyou Kara Maou! However, I do so claim the rights to the originality of this plot.

**WARNING: **Some light slash scenes in this chapter and a lot of fluffy moments between our two favourite boys as usual.

_Let us start!_

**Chapter Four****:**

Yuuri looked up from the documents in his hands when the double doors of his study opened to reveal a certain, emerald-eyed youth.

"You asked for me?" Wolfram drawled as he closed the doors behind him.

"That I did," replied Yuuri. He gestured a hand at the two sheets of parchments lying before him on his desk and continued, "I've made the necessary preparations and things are ready to go. How about you?"

The blonde nodded his head, making his way across the spacious study to stand before the young king. "I've already informed my men during training session an hour ago. They'll just review some moves while I'm gone," he said.

"Excellent." Yuuri stood from his seat, rolling the parchments up into two scrolls and tying them off with red ribbons, the seal of the Maou visible on the undersides of the documents. "Come on; let's grab some stuff from our room before we sneak off to Shinou Temple."

Nodding his agreement, Wolfram furrowed his eyebrows lightly when the raven-haired young man drew abreast to him as the both of them exited the king's study.

'_There's something a little different with Yuuri,_' pondered the blonde thoughtfully as he watched the taller youth catch the attention of one of the two guards standing guard outside the study.

Yuuri held out the two scrolls in his grasp to the soldier in front of him. "Would you mind delivering these, please?" he asked. "And please inform the recipients that they are to read their messages inconspicuously and to carry out the contents contained within just as discreetly."

The guard took the scrolls in both of his hands with a bow and then he gave a curt salute. "As you wish, Sire!" said the soldier smartly before he hurried off instantly to carry out his sovereign's requests.

Finally figuring out just what was bothering him several moments later, Wolfram's eyebrow rose in an elegant arch as first, the feeling of surprise coursed through him, before it was followed by the sentiments of amusement and quite a copious amount of arousal. He moved in closer towards Yuuri's side as they continued down a short hallway and then turned around a corner into a long corridor. Yuuri cast him a bemused glance but did not move away; instead, he lightly brushed his hand against the blonde's. At the fleeting contact between them, the emerald-eyed young man confirmed the thought running through his mind: there was no heat radiating from Yuuri. A slow smirk began stretching across his face.

"Did you take a shower?"

The raven-haired young man blinked and gave a nod in reply, a quizzical expression painting his features. "Yes, I did just take one. Why?"

Wolfram had to struggle to hold in the snicker that threatened to escape from him. He slanted a sly look up at the taller youth as they reached the double doors of the royal suites.

"A _cold_ shower to be more specific, perhaps?" he pressed on with a teasing grin, his voice dropping to a low purr. He hid a snigger when he noticed the other go rigid beside him as Yuuri's hands pushed the double doors shut behind them both.

"What about it?"

"Did it succeed in calming down your…_excitement_?"

"What are you talking about?"

Wolfram quirked an eyebrow. So, Yuuri was taking out the card of denial? A wicked smirk appeared on his face. It was not like he was going to let the taller boy use it if he had anything to say about it. Teasing Yuuri was just too fun!

"Come now, you don't need to hide it. I know you can't stop yourself. Boys have needs after all, wouldn't you say, Yu-u-ri?" Wolfram said, dragging out the young king's name in a husky tone. Before he could stop himself, he shot a sly grin at the other standing stiffly across the length of the chamber and staring at him with an incredulous look in his black eyes. "It's not my fault if you can't control yourself whenever I'm in your presence, now is it?"

"You sound so damn proud of yourself," Yuuri finally choked out, getting over his initial shock.

Wolfram paused as if thinking it over before he smirked. "Yes, I do believe I am."

"Is that so?"

The blonde looked down and pretended to inspect his fingernails, not noticing the predatory glint sparking in Yuuri's eyes, nor did he notice that the young king was stalking towards him. "That's right. You know—"

Wolfram yelped loudly in shock when Yuuri took advantage of the blonde's lax guard of attention to force him backwards until the back of his knees hit the side of the bed and the two of them toppled back to slam onto the mattress, the young king straddling the emerald-eyed youth in a blink of an eye.

"Yuuri!" Wolfram squawked, his eyes wide with astonishment as his cheeks coloured at the position they were both in.

"Take care, Wolfram," Yuuri crooned out the name as he leaned over to purr into the smaller youth's ear, feeling quite satisfied to feel a full-body shudder run through the slim body pinned underneath him. "Seeing as you're the cause of my _delicate _problems, I think it's only fair that you be the one to take care of them." His lips ghosted over a flushed, porcelain cheek before he continued on down to map the expanse of a long, pale throat. He settled more firmly down on the blonde and grounded his hips against Wolfram's, earning him a surprised gasp. "Don't you agree, love?"

"T-T-Take c-care of th-them?"

"Mmhmm," Yuuri hummed in affirmation and lightly sucked on a pulse point at the juncture of Wolfram's neck.

"I…mmm…" the blonde started to say before trailing off into a quiet moan when Yuuri sank his teeth lightly over his pulse point and sucked hard, leaving behind a bright, red hickey.

The young king gave a last nip at the sweet-tasting skin and gently laved his tongue over the forming bruise before pulling back to scrutinize his work with a satisfied grin on his face. He took in the glazed, green eyes and the brilliant flush spread across pale cheeks and smirked.

"Don't think that I didn't catch on to what you were trying to do during lunch today," he said in a low croon. "So allow me to say this to you now: I will be repaying you the favour. You won't find me staying passive in the face of your provocative actions because I will definitely retaliate in turn." Yuuri grinded down a last time, receiving a strangled moan in response. He smirked again. "Have no doubt about it, love."

Thoroughly stunned, Wolfram could do little else but to gape at the raven-haired young man as the other gave him a swift kiss before pulling back and sliding off of him. He watched through dazed eyes as Yuuri made his way to a large wardrobe and stuck his head inside, clearly rummaging for some things.

"Come on, Wolfram, we need to get going," came Yuuri's muffled voice accompanied by the rustling sound of clothes. "Gwendal and Gunter are going to be occupied with some things for only a few more hours, so we have to go before they discover that we're missing. Hurry and grab your stuff and we'll head out in a few minutes. I just need to find…ah ha!" Yuuri's head reemerged from the depths of the wardrobe with a wrapped up bundle in his grasp. He grabbed a sack from a chair beside the bedside table and slung it over his shoulder before glancing at the still sprawled out form of the blonde on the bed. He raised an eyebrow at the smaller youth. "Are you coming or not?"

Wolfram finally shook off the stupor paralyzing his ability to function properly and dragged his mind back from the haze of arousal clouding his senses. He rose slowly and slid off of the bed to stand. Grabbing his sword from its place where it was leaning against the headboard, the blonde swiftly tied the weapon to his belt on the hip of his waist and shot a coy look at the young king from beneath his thick lashes. "Oh, I'm definitely '_cumming_'," he purred, "hopefully soon and by your hands."

Yuuri went crimson at the turn of phrase the blonde employed and narrowed his dark eyes as they began to smoulder with desire. "Careful, love. Remember what I told you not mere five minutes ago? I _will_ give as good as I get, do not doubt it."

Wolfram strolled forward and placed his hands on the handles of the double doors. He sent another heated glance over his shoulder at the taller boy as he slowly opened the doors. "Oh, I have no doubt about it, wimp," he drawled, his nickname for the other said in an obviously endearing manner. "In fact, I'm counting on it. Now, shall we get going or not?"

The young king smirked and followed after the blonde as the other sauntered out of the royal suites, heading towards the stables. Fathomless, obsidian eyes locking on the swaying backside of Wolfram, his smirk grew wicked.

'_I do so love this game of seduction,_' Yuuri mentally grinned, unaware that a similar expression was being portrayed on his features. '_And under no conditions do I have any intentions of losing it._'

Saddling Ao and Wolfram's white stallion was a task swiftly completed by the stable-hands and after Wolfram had thoroughly checked that the straps were sufficiently tightened, the pair thanked the stable-boys before riding out. When they reached the main gates of the Blood Pledge Castle, the young king nodded once at the soldiers stationed as guards of the gates. The men scrambled to do their ruler's bidding and slowly, the heavy gates swung open as the metal bars outside for additional security lifted with the sound of chinking chains.

"Sire!" saluted a high-leveled officer. "Might I inquire as to where you're departing?"

"Just a visit to Shinou Temple," replied Yuuri. He cast a stern glance at the man standing beside his steed, causing the soldier to straighten his shoulders back subconsciously at the look. "I might be gone for a while longer than normal but there'll be no need for worry as Wolfram will be accompanying me. I do not want neither Lord von Voltaire nor Lord von Christ to get a wind of this excursion from you; however, should they question you directly, do not lie and just tell them, otherwise, do not inform them intentionally, am I understood?"

The officer nodded curtly. "Perfectly, Your Majesty."

Yuuri smiled. "Excellent. Well, good afternoon, officer."

The soldier saluted smartly again. "Thank you, Sire! May you have a good afternoon too!"

The raven-haired youth slightly inclined his head in acknowledgement and nudged Ao into a brisk canter, Wolfram urging his mount after him. They rode in comfortable silence down the dirt path leading up to the Temple and in a short amount of time, the young king and his blonde companion clattered into the central, cobblestone courtyard of Shinou Temple.

Yuuri swung a leg over the broad back of his midnight black stallion and smoothly dismounted as Wolfram followed his lead. The couple turned when a familiar, child-like voice called out, "Your Majesty, Lord von Bielefeld, it's nice to see you."

"The feeling is mutual, I assure you," Yuuri greeted the Head Priestess with a wide smile. "How are you, Ulrike?"

"Very well, Your Majesty, thank you," Ulrike replied softly with a gentle smile of her own. She tilted her head a little to the side and asked, "If I may ask, what brings you here this afternoon?"

The raven-haired young man handed Ao's reins to a priestess-in-training with a nod of thanks before he turned back around to face Ulrike with a quirked eyebrow. "I'm sure you know very well why we're here, Ulrike," he said. "You wouldn't happen to know where I can find Murata by any chance, would you?"

The child-like priestess smiled, a sparkle of humour in her violet eyes. "Indeed," she responded and swept a long-sleeved arm out before her. "Please follow me." She led the young king and Wolfram underground and they entered the spacious, stone chamber situated at the centre of the Shinou Temple right below the large fountain that decorated the middle of the main courtyard outside.

Yuuri looked up and studied the shimmering sheen of water flowing in gentle motions across the glass ceiling as Ulrike halted in front of the altar and raised her small hands out in front of her. Dragging his gaze away from the mesmerizing view above, Yuuri moved to stand beside Wolfram as they watched a dark globe rise out of the ground on a small, short, circular pillar.

The Head Priestess peered into the globe's inky depths that were dotted throughout with small twinkles of light. A brief moment later of silence, she spoke up in a tone that did not sound at all that surprised, "His Holiness is in Dai Shimaron. Where he is in that particular country, I can not tell. The barrier between mazoku and human lands makes it difficult for me to fully scry His Holiness' exact location."

Yuuri grinned in triumph as Wolfram gave an aristocratic sniff.

"I knew it," crowed Yuuri. "I just knew Murata and Conrad went to check out Dai Shimaron in face of King Berard's abdication and the connection the sword thieves have with the new king!" He nodded his head at the priestess. "Thank you for your help, Ulrike. Wolfram and I'll be taking our leave now."

"A minute, Your Majesty." Ulrike withdrew from the depths of her voluminous robes two bundles and gave one to Yuuri while the other was given to Wolfram. "His Holiness bid me to give these to you in case you, and here I quote: 'take it to your head to stupidly follow him to Dai Shimaron where its ruler is out to capture you with a vengeance'," she explained with a slightly sheepish smile.

Both Yuuri and Wolfram snorted elegantly at the same time as they tucked their respective bundles into the crooks of their arms.

"Yes, that'll be exactly the sort of thing Murata would say," the young king commented dryly.

"Undoubtedly," agreed the blonde with a wry smile of his own.

Ulrike giggled softly. "Come," she said, smiling, "I'll take you to an empty chamber so that you may change before you go."

Following after the Head Priestess, Yuuri cast a puzzled glance at the bundle of clothes in his arms and voiced his thoughts out loud. "I wonder what get-up Murata obtained for us," he mused.

"We'll find out soon enough," replied Wolfram as the door closed behind Ulrike, leaving the two boys alone in an empty room. "You get changed here, I'll take the bathroom."

Yuuri shrugged. "Sure. Just ask if I'm done changing before you reenter the room, alright?"  
"Afraid I'll see something personal?" the blonde teased, moving towards the bathroom.

"No," came Yuuri's retort, "just worried about my virtue when you'll undeniably lose control and try to have your wicked way with me if you catch a glimpse of my naked body."

Wolfram flushed and firmly closed the door to shut out the raven-haired youth's smirking face. "Wimp," he muttered before he grinned and began to get undressed.

000o000

A pair of youths stood waiting beside a grand, cruising ship lying anchored by the docks on the shores of Shin Makoku that faced the ocean which separated the kingdom from Dai Shimaron. Their stylish garbs screamed of wealth and the sophisticated way they carried themselves as they waited portrayed the epitome of nobility.

One was dressed in a lengthy robe of a deep violet trimmed with silver linings and who had long silver hair that fell to the small of his back, the wavy locks held back in a low, loose ponytail with an emerald clasp as several shorter strands framed his face, the wind of the sea sweeping the bangs away from his dark, blue eyes. The smaller figure beside him was clothed in a robe similar to his companion though it was of a royal blue colour patterned with gold embroidery; he had straight, shoulder-length hair that was looped back in a loose, platinum blond braid tied off with a matching blue ribbon. His light grey eyes seemed to shimmer with veiled amusement as Cheri blinked in bemusement at the two young men standing in front of her ship.

"May I help you two gentlemen?" she inquired politely, her eyebrows crinkling a bit more when the smaller of the two boys began chuckling.

The one with silver hair smiled at her. "Do we really look that different, Cheri?" he asked.

Cheri's green eyes narrowed as she tried to place the familiar voice with a face before the light dawned on her face. "Your Majesty?" she said in a questioning tone.

"Correct," replied Yuuri in his disguise, his eyes with dark blue contacts glimmered with laughter at the incredulous look on the woman's face. "I suppose my voice gave it away?"

Cheri nodded a little dumbly. Her gaze flitted over to the smaller youth standing beside the young king. "Then, you're Wolfram, aren't you?"

The young man dressed in royal blue nodded. "Of course, Mother," Wolfram said. "I didn't know you liked to state the obvious."

The blonde woman shot a pout at her youngest son. "Mou, Wolf, you shouldn't tease your Mother like that!" she sulked childishly. Then, her moody countenance did a full 360-degree turn in a blink of an eye and a wide grin stretched from her left ear to her right ear. "Don't you two look gorgeous!" she cooed. "Absolutely stunning! If I didn't know who the both of you were or that you are together, I would most definitely try to get my hands on you; especially you, Your Majesty, you're exactly my type! All tall, broad-shouldered, attractive—"

Cheri was interrupted when a pale hand clamped down over her mouth and laughing green eyes looked into narrowed grey orbs. "You're right, Mother," Wolfram drawled as Yuuri coloured at the starry-eyed look Cheri was giving him. "He is, indeed, all that and more, and what's more is he's off-limits."

Cheri gently tugged her youngest son' hand down with a knowing smile playing on the edges of her lips. "My," she teased playfully, "aren't you possessive?" She laughed in delight when the smaller youth flushed at her words.

Chuckling softly, Yuuri stepped up beside his blushing lover and slipped an arm around the lithe waist in a claiming gesture. "He's not the only one," he said and shared a smirk with Cheri as Wolfram turned a darker shade of red and smacked the young king's arm. Yuuri took the light blow as his due for teasing Wolfram with an indulgent grin.

The attention of the three was diverted when a voice called out, "Madame Cheri! It's time to sail!"

The busty woman looked up at the captain of her ship who was leaning over the railing and was looking down at her from his position. "All right," she called back, "we'll be up in a minute." She turned to face the two young men. "Come on then, let's get on board, shall we?"

In a short amount of time, they were out on the open sea. Yuuri watched on sympathetically as Wolfram clenched his eyes shut, his knuckles white as his hands clutched the railings in a death grip, trying to keep in his lunch.

"I hate being seasick," Wolfram scowled, an irritable grimace on his face as his stomach churned again.

The taller youth smiled understandingly in return and rubbed a hand on the blonde's back in soothing circles in hopes that it would calm the other while his other free hand slapped away silver stray strands of hair away from his face.

After what seemed like a year, but really, it had only been an hour since they had set sail, Wolfram eventually succeeded in keeping his lunch in his stomach where it belonged and finally adjusted to the rocking motions of the ship. He slowly released the vice-like grip of his hands on the railings and sighed in relief. He cast a grateful look over his shoulder at the other young man. "Thank you," he rasped.

"No problem," Yuuri said. "Alright now?"

The blonde nodded.

Yuuri smiled, his hand batting away flying locks of hair from his eyes in an annoyed manner. "That's good."

Wolfram watched from the corners of his eyes in growing amusement as Yuuri futilely attempted to keep stray strands of silver hair away from his cerulean eyes, but the ocean breeze was just as stubborn as the taller boy and it persisted on blowing the long locks away from the king's grasping fingers and back into obscuring his face. He gave a quiet chuckle at the humorous scene the other presented only to quickly school his features into an innocent expression when Yuuri shot him a bemused glance. After a couple of minutes watching his lover struggling to tame his misbehaving tresses, the blonde spoke up, "Would you like some help with that?"

Giving Wolfram a look of exasperation, Yuuri nodded. "Please?" he implored, his tone tinged with disgruntlement. "Why'd Murata choose a wig like this for me anyways? It keeps getting into my eyes!"

"But it looks good on you, admit it," the blonde chortled quietly, moving up behind the young king. "You were practically preening in front of the mirror back at Shinou Temple."

"Was not," replied Yuuri petulantly. His eyelids drooped over his azure globes as he felt Wolfram twine his slim fingers into his hair in soothing motions.

"'I look awfully gorgeous, don't you think, Wolfram?'" the smaller youth quoted. Yuuri could practically hear the grin in the other's voice. "Does that sound familiar to you?"

"Nope, doesn't even ring a bell."

The fingers stopped moving and a small whine of protest involuntarily escaped from his lips. Yuuri could feel himself flush at the impromptu sound he emitted and he felt the blush on his cheeks darken as Wolfram leaned over his shoulder to look at him with a skeptic expression.

The king tried to control the portion of blood rushing to his cheeks while the other portion flew down south as his every nerve tingled and electrified with the feeling of Wolfram being pressed flush against his back. "What?" he asked, quite proud that it had came out steadily without any hint of his internal struggle with his hormones wreaking havoc on his mind.

Not as completely oblivious to the effect he had on Yuuri as he pretended to be, Wolfram pressed even closer until not a margin width of a hair of space was left between them and then merely quirked an elegant eyebrow in response.

Attempting to ignore the radiating heat from the blonde burning into his back but failing miserably, Yuuri huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine, be that way," he sulked.

Deciding to cut the other a little slack, Wolfram took a small step back. Then, swiftly unclipping the clasp holding back the long hair, he used one hand to gently comb back loose strands while his other hand held the silver locks in order to prevent them from blowing out in disarray with the wind current.

"Moody wimp," Wolfram said, his tone affectionate. He smiled softly as Yuuri moaned in pleasure at his ministrations, his fingers gently massaging the taller youth's scalp in sweeping touches as he tried to tame the other's silver hair. A while later, Wolfram re-clasped the emerald clip into place and moved to step back only to be pulled into Yuuri's arms. Relaxing into the warm embrace, Wolfram laid his head on the young king's shoulder.

Yuuri nuzzled his nose against the blonde's ear, making the smaller youth shiver as a warm tongue darted out to trace the sensitive shell of his ear. "But I'm your 'moody wimp'."

Wolfram tilted his head to the side to bare more of his neck as the king trailed his lips down the side of the offered pale throat. "Damn right," he replied breathlessly.

Yuuri released a low laugh; the vibrations rumbling from his chest against the blonde's back practically made the smaller youth dissolve into a warm pile of goo in his arms. The young king suckled at the other's earlobe, wrenching a delighted groan from Wolfram as he melted deeper into the hold of the taller young man. "Thank you, love," Yuuri murmured before giving a last nip to the moist earlobe.

Wolfram turned his head and, placing a soft kiss on the corner of Yuuri's mouth, he replied, "You're welcome, Yuuri."

"Don't you two look adorable together!" cooed a voice from behind. The couple turned their heads to look at the source but did not break apart.

"Mother?" asked Wolfram.

"Seeing you all grown up and…"

As the older woman continued prattling on, Wolfram wiggled slightly in Yuuri's grasp so that he could shift to face his mother without leaving the circle of Yuuri's arms, but stopped in his movements when a quiet gasp hissed in his ear. He paused and raised his head slightly to look up into the taller youth's flushed face. "Yuuri?" he said in a whisper.

The young king's eyes were hooded when he looked down at the blonde's upturned face. "Nothing, love," he whispered, his voice sounding a little strangled. "Just…don't move so much, ok?"

"Why?" Wolfram frowned lightly. He moved to turn around again only to come to a screeching halt when he felt something hard poking him in the back, and being a boy himself, he knew instantly just exactly what 'it' was. The realization that Yuuri was aroused and hard for him and in front of his mother as it was, Wolfram could not stop the blush that erupted on his cheeks like exploding fireworks. As uncomfortable as he was of the situation seeing as he too was getting just as hard as Yuuri right in front of his chattering mother, Wolfram could feel a smidgen of smugness rising up within him at the fact that he could provoke such a reaction from Yuuri as easily as being pressed up against the other. Then, a wicked idea came to mind. The blonde hid a smug smirk before he casually cuddled back into the young king's embrace.

Yuuri bit back a moan when the blonde arched back a bit and pressed down on his erection. Wolfram shifted a little more to the left and Yuuri had to literally bite the inside of his cheek to stifle the groan from erupting from deep within the workings of his voice-box as his stiff member lodged itself between the cleft of the blonde's arse. The king swallowed hard and his head reluctantly bowed over the smaller boy's shoulder, his forehead coming to a rest on the juncture of Wolfram's neck and shoulder as the blonde subtly rubbed himself back against his straining length. Yuuri's hands spasmed slightly on his hold around Wolfram's waist and a low, shuddering moan came rising unbidden from his throat.

Cheri paused in her prattling and shot a concerned glance at her sovereign. "Your Majesty? Are you feeling alright? Are you feeling seasick?"

Wolfram hid a smirk when he felt Yuuri stiffen, his faint thrusting against his behind stilling instantly at the question. The young king dragged his mind from the haze of lust, belatedly remembering that they were not in the privacy of their rooms and very much in the open to the public eye, and not to mention Wolfram's mother was standing right there in front of them. The blush flamed hot on his cheeks and his ears went just as pink. Yuuri pulled Wolfram before him in a subtle maneuver to hide his prominent hardness and managed a weak smile. "I'm fine, Cheri," he reassured her.

"Are you certain? You look quite flushed…"

Yuuri tightened his hold around Wolfram when he felt a nearly imperceptible shudder of a silent laugh shake the blonde's frame. The king gritted his teeth and tried to will his raging erection down. "Yes, truly, Cheri. I assure you, I'm perfectly fine."

The taller young man shot a veiled glare down at the mirth-filled grey eyes of the smaller youth looking up at him. He leaned down a fraction and brushed his lips against the other's ear. "Don't think you can get away with this," he hissed hotly, grinding his hips up against the blonde's behind and wrenching a breathless gasp from Wolfram in turn. "I'll get you later."

Wolfram tossed a sly grin at the young king staring down at him with a heated gaze. "Do your worst," he murmured back, his hand offhandedly dropping down to his side to casually brush against the other's hard-on. The hands on his hips immediately tightened their grip in response.

Cheri pretended to not understand what was going on between the pair of young men in front of her though she allowed herself to giggle girlishly in her mind. She clapped her hands in a gay manner to attract the attention of the youths. "Really, whenever I see Your Majesty and Wolfram together, it makes me miss Fanfan all the more! I can't wait until we get to Dai Shimaron so that I may see him again!"

The mention of Dai Shimaron brought an important matter to Yuuri's mind and he turned to fully face the older woman. "Cheri, I almost forgot to inform you but once we reach the human lands, please do not refer me to my title nor call Wolfram by his name. It's too conspicuous and much too risky, especially now that we're going to be on unfriendly territory; so we took the precautions of changing our names. If you must address us, I am Lord Anthony von Enders and Wolfram is Lord Drake von Lyon."

Cheri smiled and nodded in understanding. "Very well. Consider it done, Lord Anthony von Enders."

As the ship pulled up into the docks, an extravagant carriage rolled up into view to come to a halt at the base of the lowered ramp. A tall, bearded man in well-dressed clothing stepped out of the carriage and Cheri released a happy exclamation at the sight of him. She practically flew down the ramps and then promptly into the man's open arms.

"Fanfan! It's so good to see you!" she said in a sugary tone. "I've missed you!"

The bearded man pulled a blooming rose from seemingly out of nowhere and presented it to Cheri with a fancy flourish. "Oh, my love," he stated, bringing up one of her hands to lay a kiss on it. "The days that I could not spend with you were faded and dull. My heart felt like a barren wasteland, forever devoid of producing any fruit…"

Yuuri quirked an eyebrow as he and Wolfram slowly made their way down the ramp towards the older couple below. "He hasn't changed," he commented with a wry grin.

Wolfram tucked himself into the young king's side and smiled as Yuuri's arm automatically snaked out to wrap around his waist. "She must have informed him of our arrival beforehand, using the messenger doves."

"I know."

The blonde glanced at the other. "You arranged Mother to do this in one of the two messages you had the soldier deliver when we left your study, didn't you?"

Yuuri nodded. "I did," he said.

"And who's the other for?"

"Anissina."

"Anissina? Whatever for?"

"You'll see."

Wolfram huffed at the cryptic answer but did not persist. By then, the pair of boys had reached the bottom of the ramps and Fanvalen swept a bow. "Might I request as to who these two young gentlemen are?" he asked politely.

Cheri tucked her arm into the crook of Fanvalen's right arm. "Allow me to present Lord Anthony von Enders and Lord Drake von Lyon. However, I'm quite certain that the three of you have already met in the past."

Immediately understanding the meaning behind the blond woman's words, Fanvalen smiled. "Ah, I recall now. Welcome to Dai Shimaron, as it is. How are you, Lord Anthony and Lord Drake?" the merchant greeted. "I'm honoured to be able to meet you again!"

"Thank you, Lord Fanvalen," greeted Yuuri in turn. "Rest assured that the sentiments are reciprocated. Once again, I would like to thank you for helping us last time when we needed to escape. I apologize to ask this of you, but I'd like to request your help once more."

Fanvelan looked a little taken back by the smooth and formal response but he quickly recovered with a nod of acknowledgement. "Why, I wholeheartedly consent. Please leave everything to me, this Fanvalen."

Cheri moved closer towards the merchant and laid a hand on his chest. "Think of this as a favour for me," she cooed.

"Of course, my fair lady," replied Fanvalen. "I would gladly give anything to you, you know that." He turned and gestured at the carriage behind them. "Please, would you like to come to my place for the duration of your stay here?"

Yuuri smiled brightly. "That would be most appreciated, Lord Fanvalen. I gladly accept."

As the small group climbed into the carriage, the merchant whispered quietly so that only Yuuri could hear him. "It truly is an honour to meet Your Majesty again! Know that the affairs you have requested are in good hands. And might I add that your disguises are very well done?"

The young king nodded. "Thank you," he replied just as softly.

Fanvalen merely smiled in response and moved to sit beside Cheri. As the four settled into their seats and the carriage started moving, the merchant looked at the pair of young men sitting across from him and could not stop the raise of an eyebrow when he caught sight of Yuuri's fingers intertwined with Wolfram's, their joined hands resting on their thighs. Fanvalen noted then that the two were pressed together at the shoulders, hips, and legs. "This is a new development, is it not?"

The young men nodded in unison with wide smiles.

"Well, it was about time," Fanvalen exclaimed with a smile of his own. "Forgive me if I seem to be too forward, Lord Anthony, but I'm happy that you finally stopped denying yourself and took the wonderful gift Lord Drake has been offering to you for a long time." He motioned at the bracelet on Wolfram's wrist. "Would I be correct to presume that my assumption of that lovely trinket as an official gift of courtship is accurate?"

Wolfram nodded. "It is."

"It's a beautiful gift. I've never seen such intricate workmanship," commented the merchant, studying the bracelet.

"That it is," Wolfram agreed, glancing proudly at the lightly blushing Yuuri beside him.

"May I inquire as to where you found such an elaborate work of art, Lord Anthony?"

Yuuri's blush deepened as Wolfram replied for him, "He didn't find it per se, Lord Fanvalen. You see, Anthony crafted it himself."

The merchant visibly started in surprise. "Really? How extraordinary! I'm very impressed, Lord Anthony! This is truly a masterpiece; I've never seen such an exquisite work of art!"

"Thank you," said Yuuri.

"Think nothing of it for I merely spoke the truth," responded Fanvalen. He nodded at the both of them. "Might I offer the both of you congratulations?"

Yuuri ducked his head shyly before raising it again. "Thank you, Lord Fanvalen. I'm glad that I stopped refusing to see what was in front of me as well." He shot a coy smile at the blonde pressed up against his side. "Very glad."

"Indeed," Wolfram drawled with a haughty smirk. "Like Lord Fanvalen stated, it was about damn time."

Yuuri flushed as the other occupants of the carriage laughed in good-natured mirth.

000o000

Taking a glass of wine from a tray offered by one of the many circulating servants, Yuuri nodded in thanks to the liveried boy and took a small sip. Fanvalen had managed to successfully bring him and Wolfram as his distinguished guests to the ball that King Ranjeel the Second was hosting in celebration of his enthronement. His dark azure orbs scanned the ballroom brimming with dancing figures then he brought his attention back to the noblemen Fanvalen was conversing with.

"And who might your young companion be, Lord Fanvalen?" asked a balding nobleman, indicating politely at Yuuri.

"Gentlemen, allow me to present a close friend of mine, Lord Anthony von Enders," Fanvalen introduced Yuuri to the other men. "He is here visiting Dai Shimaron for only a few days before he continues on with his journey."

"Lord Anthony von Enders?" repeated another noble. "I've never heard of the Enders. Tell me, what is it that you do, my lord?"

Pretending not to notice the barely veiled disdain, Yuuri efficiently replied, "I'm a merchant by trade, like my friend Lord Fanvalen. I mostly specialize in the thriving business of jewelry and perfumery. With my numerous connections with royal families and noble ladies alike, I am hardly in one place for long before I'm off to another country seeing as my products are very popular among the circles of the ladies and as you all well know, fashion is always in demand. So it's quite understandable that you have not heard of me."

The noblemen blinked at his smooth response, his drawl tinged with the obvious accent of a high-standing Court Member. However, they visibly recovered quickly and whenever they addressed him from then on, the scorn in their conducts was absent and replaced with grudging respect.

Yuuri took another sip of his wine as he continued to scan the ballroom. Catching sight of what he was seeking, he politely excused himself and began maneuvering his way through the throng of dancing bodies.

Wolfram clenched his teeth together in frustration when the young woman in front of him would not take 'no' for an answer and continued pestering him for a dance. "I'm sorry, my lady," he said calmly, a direct contrast to the aggravation building up within him. "But I'm waiting for someone at the moment."

"Oh, can't this person wait?" the girl simpered.

"I'm afraid not," Wolfram bit out. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He tensed when the female had the nerve to latch onto his arm as he made to leave. '_Like a damn leech!_' he fumed mentally. "I would advise you to back away and to stop touching me. I have managed so far to remain a gentleman, but if you keep this up, I will not be held accountable for my actions," Wolfram said through gritted teeth.

"Come on," the young woman wheedled. "Just one dance, gorgeous?" She let out a squeak when the beautiful blond man was pulled away from her by a pair of arms.

Recognizing the comforting scent of storms and forests right away, Wolfram relaxed as two strong arms wrapped themselves around his waist, drawing him up close against the familiar hard planes of the taller body behind him.

"Please remove your person before I do so for you," drawled Yuuri's low voice.

The girl stared at the attractive silver-haired young man before gathering herself. "And who might you be, handsome?" she simpered.

"Who I am is of no concern of yours, my lady," the young king droned, his sapphire eyes narrowed. "I believe you were courteously asked to leave?"

"How dare you! Y-You…Do you even know who I am?" the young woman sputtered, indignant red spots of colour appearing high on her heavily powdered cheeks.

"No, I do not," Yuuri responded civilly. "And frankly, I do not care."

"I am Princess Marilyn Lilia, crown princess of Dai Shimaron and the daughter of King Ranjeel the Second," the girl stated snootily. She sniffed and tossed a long auburn curl over her shoulder. "I demand that you apologize for your atrocious behaviour!"

Yuuri quirked an eyebrow. "On what basis? If you would recall correctly, you were politely asked to take your leave. I find that it is not I who needs to tender an apology; quite on the contrary, I do believe you owe us your apology. With all due respect, if you are the crown princess of Dai Shimaron as you have claimed, should you not take it as your responsibility to be a charming hostess and try to charm your guests instead of harassing them?"

Princess Marilyn gawked at the young king, struck speechless by his smooth speech delivered in a perfect drawl of a high-class Court Member.

Yuuri inclined his head slightly at the gaping young woman. "Well then, a good evening to you, my lady." With that, he turned and gently steered Wolfram—who was fighting back his urge to snicker—away. He led them through the crowd and behind a pillar, blocking themselves from the view of the shocked princess still standing where they had left her in case that once she regained her senses, she would try to seek them out.

Wolfram lightly squeezed Yuuri's hand. "Thank you for that, Yuuri."

"Not a problem," answered the young king with a bright smile. He tenderly tucked a lock of platinum blond hair behind Wolfram's ear. "You're mine," he whispered heatedly, sending pleasant shivers down the blonde's spine. "And I don't share."

Wolfram smiled radiantly back at him. "I know. The same goes for me."

Yuuri squeezed the slender hand in his own. "I'm glad we've reached a mutual understanding," he drawled jokingly. Then he cast a dubious look in Princess Marilyn's direction. "I didn't even know Ranjeel was married, much less had a daughter!" he added disbelievingly.

The blonde shook his head. "Neither did I. I don't understand how our intelligences didn't discover this particular tidbit of information either."

"That would be because Princess Marilyn's existence was only revealed not mere five days ago after the coronation of King Ranjeel," spoke up an unfamiliar voice from nearby the two young men. Surprised, the youths turned to face a young man looking about the exact same age as they were with purple tinted glasses and long pale blonde hair that fell to his lower back. He was dressed in a Mandarin style robe of a vibrant scarlet with a complex design of a gold dragon curling over his right shoulder and down one side of his clothes. The stranger bowed his head slightly in greeting. "Forgive me if I may seem rude but I could not help overhearing the last bit of your conversation and your rather spectacular confrontation with the crown princess," he said with an apologetic smile. "Allow me to present myself, my name is Sara and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

Yuuri eyed the other for several moments. "How can you be pleased to make an acquaintance to which you have yet to make?" he asked curiously, one eyebrow arched in question.

Startled, Sara blinked and stared for but a second before a delighted laugh escaped from his lips. His golden eyes behind his glasses sparked with humour as he smiled. "You're going to be a breath of fresh air among these dusty, worn dancers," he chuckled.

Yuuri just nodded, mentally frowning at the obscure meaning behind the other's words but he dismissed it from his mind not a moment later when the golden-eyed man's name tugged at his memory. '_Sara…now where have I heard a name like that before?_' Yuuri pondered, then it dawned on him and his eyes widened a tad in surprise before he schooled his features into a blank but pleasant mask. '_If I recall correctly, I studied about a youthful king, much like me, who rules a vassal nation to Dai Shimaron and he governs it very well for his age. His name is…_' Yuuri inclined his head towards Sara. "Indeed," he said. "I apologize for not recognizing you right away but how do you do this fine evening, King Saralegui of Shou Shimaron?"

Again, Sara visibly started in surprised, and then he shook his head with an enigmatic, rueful smile. "You are very astute, are you not…?" he trailed off in question.

Knowing what the other was enquiring for, Yuuri introduced himself. "My name is Lord Anthony von Enders, Your Majesty," he said and waved a hand at Wolfram standing closely beside him. He could feel that the blonde was tensed and wary and, for some odd reason, the smaller youth was watching Sara through marginally narrowed eyes. Yuuri surreptitiously brushed the back of his hand against Wolfram's in an inquiring manner, earning himself a fleeting, reassuring smile and a glance that told him that the blonde would tell him about it later. Yuuri nodded his head in a small movement before turning his attention back to Sara and continuing as if he had not paused at all, "And this is Lord Drake von Lyon."

"Your Majesty," Wolfram nodded stiffly.

Sara returned the nod with a smile. "Please, the both of you," he said, "call me Sara. 'Your Majesty' at the moment is not I but King Ranjeel giving the circumstances that we are in Dai Shimaron and not my kingdom."

"Very well, Sara," Yuuri agreed. "You said that Princess Marilyn was only made known to the public a few days ago. Might I inquire as to why she has been kept secret until now all this time?"

"There are many speculations running about on this particular subject but the most popular one is that the crown princess is an illegitimate child and His Majesty did not want others to know about her because of it," replied Sara nonchalantly. "However, rumours have it that he had heard about the grand celebrations that are going to be hosted in Shin Makoku for the Maou's eighteenth birthday, and it's said that His Majesty wants to offer the Maou the princess as a potential bride in order to bring together the two countries in a political marriage union."

"_What?!_" Wolfram blurted out without thinking, his face pale as his hands clenched into fists.

Yuuri had stilled in shock too but the outburst from his lover quickly brought him out of his frozen state. He moved forward without a second thought and placed a hand on the small of Wolfram's back, immediately rubbing his hand in firm soothing circles.

Wolfram took a calming breath, allowing the gentle touch of his taller lover to calm him down. Yuuri kept his hand on the blonde's back and seeing that the smaller youth was still struggling to restrain his anger, he decided to speak and draw the attention away from Wolfram in the process.

"How will he pull that off? From what I've heard, the Maou is currently in a formal courting ritual with someone else," said Yuuri, keeping his tone as uninflected as possible despite his own urge to snarl angrily like Wolfram at the distasteful news. "To interrupt a courting ritual when it has been officially announced is downright offensive, and it's liable to create a greater fissure between the two countries. Not to mention, it just might be enough of a catalyst to induce the expected war."

Sara's glaze flickered fleetingly from between Yuuri and Wolfram as he shrugged his shoulders in an elegant roll. "I don't know," he answered. "Everything is being arranged by Geneus and details about that man are very little." He paused. "The Maou's in a courting ritual? Interesting…" he mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

Sara waved a hand. "Pay no heed; I was simply rambling to myself."

"I see." Yuuri's dark cerulean globes narrowed. "Tell me, why are telling us all of this information to people you've just met? I do not mean to be rude but quite frankly, we don't know you and you don't know us. What, exactly, is your intention?"

Lowering his head a tiny bit so that the purple-tinted glasses gleamed over under the candlelight to shadow his golden eyes, a small inscrutable smile curled the corners of Sara's lips. "I find that a spicing up of the dull mediocre dance was due, that is all." With his cryptic reply, Sara nodded a farewell at the pair in an inclination of the head that was tinged with an unknown irony. "Please excuse me. It was a pleasure meeting you both. Happy festivities."

Yuuri silently watched with a thoughtful frown as the king of Shou Shimaron walk away to be joined by a tall, dark-haired man who had emerged from the shadows like a slinking ghost.

"I don't trust him," Wolfram muttered beside him, his body still rigid with controlled rage. "There's something about him that doesn't seem right."

The young king nodded. "I know," he agreed quietly. "I can't really make out what's bothering me about him and I can't read him. Something is blocking my senses from reading him…" He shook his head. "There's no point in wondering about it now. Come on, let's continue circulating among the others and see if we can gather any more news; especially reports on this 'Geneus'."

Wolfram made a noise of agreement and he let Yuuri guide him to mingle with the crowd of nobles. A quick movement from his peripheral vision caught his attention and the blonde furtively tossed a glance over his shoulder in time to spot a man wrapped in a cloak stride by. Grey eyes locked on to the emblem emblazoned with the outline of a raven on the clip holding the man's cloak shut. The subtle tug on Yuuri's sleeve pulled the taller boy's attention down towards him and Wolfram imperceptibly pointed at the man moving swiftly through the throng of people with a jerk of his chin.

Yuuri's navy-blue orbs followed in the indicated direction, his eyes lighting on the retreating back of the man. Carefully, he unraveled a tendril of his senses and stretched it out towards the man, only to recoil back with a low hiss a second later.

As the blonde shifted to move forward, the hand that fell onto his shoulder stopped him from following after the man and Wolfram turned perplexed eyes on the young king.

Yuuri shook his head mutely in response, his gaze fleeting over to the right though his head did not move. He pursed his lips and leaned over to whisper quietly in the blonde's ear, pretending to flick an imaginary stray lint off of Wolfram's collar. "Don't," he murmured lowly. "His aura is tainted and the foreign tinge to it makes me wary. Besides, it's a trap. Look to your far right, do you see the soldiers following discretely after him?"

Wolfram nodded faintly. "Yes, I see them. You don't think that our cover's blown, do you?"

"No," whispered the king. "But someone knows that there are some intruders here. I don't know how, but I think that man standing in the shadows behind Ranjeel suspects that there are uninvited people among the nobles in this ballroom seeing as he's the one conducting the soldiers' movements. We better make our exit quietly before they find out that we're not legitimately on the invitations list." Without another word, the pair began to navigate their way towards the exit in a blasé manner, politely nodding to acquaintances they had made during the evening as they passed. They were joined by Fanvalen a few meters from doors before the three of them were forced to halt in their places by a group of soldiers.

"Hold it right there!" snapped a guard.

Fanvalen took a step forward, his hands spread out before him in a placating movement. "Might I ask what is wrong?"

"Where do you think you're going?" growled the soldier.

The merchant allowed a light frown to crease between his eyebrows. "What do you mean, my good man? Are we not allowed to come and go as we please?"

The soldier shook his head. "Yes you are, Lord Fanvalen," he said before pointing at Yuuri and Wolfram. "However, these two are not."

"I beg your pardon?" Yuuri spoke up, quite aware of the murmuring crowd gathering behind them, drawn to the spectacle like a group of gossipers they were. "And what would the reason be for you to prevent us from retiring for the night?"

"You are not human," the man snapped back, his hand reaching for his sword.

Yuuri arched an eyebrow. "I assure you, sir, that we are human through and through. What gave you the idea otherwise?"

"We'll see about that," sneered the guard. Not a millisecond later, five cloaked men appeared in a circle around the young king and the blonde. Fanvalen watched on helplessly as the masked men raised their hands with a large red crystal within each of their grasps. Strands of glowing crimson shot out from the crystals towards the two young men at the centre of the human-circle…and passed right through them with no incident.

Yuuri frowned heavily. "What is the meaning of this?!" he demanded.

The soldier stared dumbly back at the young men. "Uh, w-well…" he began stammering.

"Is this the sort of hospitality you show to your guests?!" Wolfram cut in, smoothly picking up from where Yuuri had left off.

Eyes darting from one youth to the other, the guard was clearly dumbfounded as he tried to articulate cohesive sentences instead of a string of broken words. "I—well, that is to say…ah…"

"I find these actions toward us completely outrageous!" Yuuri interrupted, permitting no chance whatsoever for the flummoxed man to gather his scattered wits. "Not only do you insult us by preventing us from retiring for the night without providing any explications, you offend us even further by accusing us of being inhuman and you have this group of people try to lash us with power to top it off! I reiterate one last time: what is the meaning of this?!"

Reduced to a cringing mess of blubbering flesh, the soldier could only stutter out apologies repetitively.

"I'm sorry for any offense we caused, my lord," a deep voice broke through the stammering words of the guard. The tall figure cloaked in black who Yuuri had sighted standing in the shadows behind Ranjeel stepped through the parted crowd of soldiers. "We have some signs indicating that there are uninvited visitors here who could prove to be overbearing nuisances to our noble guests. Therefore, we are taking the compulsory precautions by asking any unfamiliar faces to present some papers confirming their official invitations and we humbly ask for your understanding."

Yuuri mentally raised an eyebrow. The eloquent speech of the newcomer was too smooth for his tastes and, for some strange reason, he had a feeling that the cloaked man knew just exactly who they were even through their disguises but the man had no proof to verify his suspicions. "I see," the young king finally responded. He reached into the folds of his robes and withdrew two folded sheets of parchment before handing them over. "If that is the situation, it would have been much appreciated if that had been made clear in the first place. It would have saved us the inconvenience of all this misunderstanding and confusion."

The black cloaked figure graciously bowed his hooded head at Yuuri's words, recognizing the subtle reproach it was. "I apologize," he said, taking the held out documents. After a perusal of the papers, he gave them back with a nod. "Everything seems to be in order. Once again, I offer you my apologies for any misdemeanor we have caused. Rest assured that the rest of your stay here in Dai Shimaron will be to your utmost satisfaction, Lord von Enders and Lord von Lyon."

Yuuri slightly inclined his head in acknowledgement before he, Wolfram, and Fanvalen left without another word. The young king was wholly aware of the dark cloaked man's eyes fixed on their backs as they strolled down the brightly lit corridor only to have the sensation of being watched disappear when they turned a corner. As the trio walked out of the palace, Yuuri paused in his steps and threw a puzzled glance behind him in the direction of the west-wing.

Wolfram peered from inside the carriage at his lover. "What is it?"

The young king blinked and then shook his head. "No, it's nothing," he said. "It was just my imagination running away with me."

"Then let's go! I don't like being here longer than necessary," the blonde urged.

Yuuri smiled and climbed into the carriage to seat himself beside Wolfram and across from Fanvalen. "I agree," he said as the carriage door closed behind him and coach began to move.

000o000

Somewhere back in the west-wing of the palace, Murata paused in his steps, drawing the attention of Conrad and Yozak.

"Your Holiness? What is it?" asked Conrad.

Murata blinked and then shook his head, his actions unknowingly an exact mirror image to that of Yuuri's. "Nothing," he replied. "Come on; let's get moving to the treasury room. I want to take a look at the stolen swords quickly before we're discovered."

Yozak pointed to his left. "It's this way. Hurry!"

The boy sighed and pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose with a finger as he followed after the two men. _Foolish Shibuya_, he thought with a wry grin. _You really did come after us. I guess we'll see you in about two hours. If I'm correct—which I usually am—Lord Fanvalen will be housing three more guests before this night ends._

000o000

Wolfram took a sip of his steaming tea as he leaned back into the soft cushions of the settee beside Yuuri. "Where did you get the identification papers?" he asked the young king.

Yuuri grinned, removing the said documents to lay them onto the glass table before them. "That credit would go to Lord Fanvalen. I requested him to formulate some official papers for us."

The blonde lowered his cup to stare at his lover. "When did you do that?"

"About two days ago. That gave Lord Fanvalen a sufficient amount of time for him to put everything together," explained the king.

Fanvalen nodded towards Yuuri from across the glass table, seated beside Cheri. "And it was a very well good thing that you did so, Your Majesty," said the merchant, using Yuuri's title now that they were in the safe confines of his home. "If you did not have those documents on you, both Your Majesty and Lord von Bielefeld would have been detained by the soldiers."

"Speaking of that particular incident, would you happen to know the identity of the man cloaked in black?"

"That would be Geneus," replied Fanvalen.

Yuuri's eyebrows furrowed. "Sara had mentioned a man named Geneus as well. Do you know anything about him?"  
"Sara?"

"King Saralegui of Shou Shimaron," Yuuri clarified. "We met him during the evening and we discussed some things, one of which contained Ranjeel's plan with the crown princess and how everything is apparently being arranged by this 'Geneus'." Pressed against the young king's side, the taller youth could feel Wolfram immediately tensing at the last part of his sentence, the blonde's frame practically thrumming with suppressed anger. Yuuri rested a hand on the other's knee and gave a reassuring squeeze but it did not seem to help Wolfram relax at the least.

"There is not a lot of information about Geneus. He was with King Ranjeel at the very beginning and it was through his help that King Ranjeel was crowned," said Fanvalen, taking a sip of his own cup of tea. "I've heard a couple of reports from my own intellects that are a bit disturbing. It seems that Geneus is part of a secret organization called the 'White Ravens'. I have a man who sent me a message stating that he has some new information concerning the White Ravens and…" he trailed off as a knock sounded on the closed double doors of the sitting room. "That must be him." Then, setting his teacup on a side-table, the merchant stood and walked across the chamber to let a tall broad man in.

Yuuri blinked in surprise as Wolfram exclaimed, "Adelbert!"

"We really do meet at the oddest moments, don't we?" asked Yuuri after a while with a dry smile.

Adelbert grinned roguishly. "That we do, Your Majesty."

"I surmise that you're the man Lord Fanvalen was just talking about?"

"If it's the man who has something to report on the White Ravens then I'm your man," replied the brawny Adelbert.

"So what do you have for us?" Fanvalen spoke up, pouring tea into a cup before offering it to Adelbert.

"Yes, it seems that it is indeed the White Ravens who have been collecting stolen priceless swords," said burly man while accepting the steaming teacup from the merchant with a nod. "They are located in the treasury room in the west-wing of the palace. I have gathered that their leader, Geneus, is searching for a magical sword. For what purposes he has for this weapon, I have yet to find out but I'm working on it."

"I have a pretty good clue as to what he's planning to do with the magical sword he's looking for," spoke up a familiar voice from the direction of the doors.

Yuuri turned to look at Murata as the other boy entered the sitting room with Conrad and Yozak trailing in behind him. "I was wondering when you'd show up," said Yuuri as he took another leisurely sip of his tea.

Murata snorted, taking a seat across from the raven-haired youth after giving a nod of greeting to Lord Fanvalen. "I still can't believe you were foolish enough to come here."

"I guess I am as much of a moron as you are," Yuuri retorted, "seeing as you're pretty idiotic yourself for coming here in the first place too."

A small smirk twitched Murata's lips and he responded in a wry voice, "Touché."

"What are you doing here, Your Majesty?" asked a stupefied Yozak, both he and Conrad were staring at their ruler with wide, incredulous eyes. "You shouldn't be here! It's much too dangerous for you. Why didn't His Grace stop you?"

The young king raised an eyebrow. "Gwendal doesn't know about this little trip and neither does Gunter. But really, even if they did, do you think they could've stopped me?"

A dubious expression overtook Yozak's features as Conrad donned a resigned look on his face. The two tall men sighed in unison.

"Yes, you're right," Yozak acquiesced, crossing his muscular arms across his chest. "But still…"

"It's dangerous for you to be here," Conrad finished.

"Don't worry," Yuuri assured. "We're prepared if anything goes wrong."

"Oh?"

"You'll see, but let's hope it doesn't come down to that." Yuuri allowed a small, enigmatic smile to surface. "Besides, why are you scolding me and not Murata? I was only following him here to make sure he doesn't get himself into a sticky situation being the moron that he is for coming to Dai Shimaron in the first place."

Murata shot his friend a mock glower. "Oh, you should talk," he grumbled.

"You know calling you a moron is not all that true," continued Yuuri. "Thanks for the clever disguises. The absorbers were additions quite ingenious as well."

"I suppose they came in handy?"

The young king nodded, his onyx orbs glinting with amusement at the sight of Murata's polite inquiring look. Yuuri did not fall for the other dark-haired boy's innocent expression at all, the shadow of a smug smirk curling Murata's lips a dead give-away. "You presumed accurately," replied the king with an arched eyebrow. "There's no need to act so humble, Murata."

Murata scowled playfully, fully aware of the puzzled glances of the other occupants of the chamber flitting from him to Yuuri. "Spoilsport," he muttered. The young king merely tossed him an unrepentant grin.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty," Conrad spoke up, "but what are these 'absorbers' you're talking about?"

Yuuri reached up and fingered the emerald clasp holding back his hair in a low ponytail. "I'm talking about these," he said, indicating at both his and Wolfram's hairclips. "Murata had Ulrike create and customize them. Their purpose serves in absorbing houseki. They came in very handy indeed. If it had not been for them, when Ranjeel's guards back at the palace threw a houseki net at us, both Wolfram and I would've been revealed as makokus."

"I guess being overly cautious pays off in the end, doesn't it?"

"I wouldn't say 'overly' but yes, I agree." Yuuri swallowed another gulp of his cooling drink. "Now, I believe we got off track. You said that you know what the reason is for the White Ravens to be searching for a particular holy sword, Murata?"

"The holy sword's name is Gifmor," replied Murata, his expression becoming serious. "And she is the twin of Morgif."

000o000

A/N: Wow, this chapter's even longer than the others! Thank you very much for the encouraging reviews! As always, they are very much appreciated! Wolfram's acceptance gift to Yuuri's first courting ritual gift and Yuuri's eighteenth birthday celebrations is coming up soon, so don't worry. I just need to elaborate a bit on Gifmor and Yuuri's eye-opening trip to Dai Shimaron.

Anyways, tell me what you think of this chapter!

Please Review!


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